What we learned from Eagles-Jets: Nick Sirianni wants to pass; Jalen Hurts still wants to run; Jalen Reagor trade unlikely

Sirianni wants an adaptable offense and in the Eagles' preseason opener, he opted for a pass-happy first drive.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 8 of 8 passes for 80 yards on his lone drive of the game on Friday.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

Published Aug. 13, 2022, 2:00 p.m. ET

The Eagles lost their preseason opener to the New York Jets, 24-21, on Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field, but there were plenty of positives to take from the game, especially those involving the starters.

Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

The Eagles want to pass the ball. If there was any belief that Nick Sirianni was going to double down on last season’s run game success, the Eagles coach put those notions to bed with a pass-happy opening drive. Quarterback Jalen Hurts dropped back on each of nine plays, completing all six of his passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. It felt like a message was being delivered. Of course, you don’t trade for A.J. Brown unless you want to upgrade your pass offense. But the wide receiver wasn’t even targeted in his debut, a reminder that the Eagles, who were without injured receiver DeVonta Smith, have other weapons through the air.

Sirianni could just as easily begin their Sept. 11 season opener against Detroit by pounding the football on the ground. But that will mostly depend upon how the Lions defend the Eagles. He wants an adaptable offense, and what January’s playoff loss made all too clear was that Sirianni, Hurts, and Co. couldn’t move the ball throwing when the Buccaneers took away the run game.

The early returns on pass-game progress in training camp haven’t been encouraging. Hurts’ immediate chemistry with Brown helped offset some of the issues. And credit should be given to Jonathan Gannon’s seemingly improved defense. But throwing the ball downfield was a slog in the first two weeks of practice. But the Jets, not exactly a formidable foe, afforded the Eagles a live test. And they more than passed it.

A quick summary of Hurts’ pass attempts: On the first drop, he evaded pressure and rolled to his preferred right and hit receiver Quez Watkins for 28 yards. On the second, he recognized the Jets’ deep zone and dumped to running back Miles Sanders for 12 yards. On the third, he tossed a 6-yard quickie to tight end Jack Stoll over the middle. On the fourth, he went to Watkins on a short crosser for 4 yards. On the fifth, Hurts scrambled, and even though he stepped out of bounds, was hit late by the Jets’ Quincy Williams. He bounced back with an 8-yard screen to Sanders and scrambled again for a 12-yard touchdown that was nullified by a holding penalty. And lastly, he hit Dallas Goedert just short of the goal line before the tight end propelled himself into the end zone.

Hurts probably left the pocket too early on the late-hit play. Brown said Hurts should have slid. But running out of bounds should have sufficed. Quibbles aside, he tempered concerns for the time being about a possible regression. It was a small sample, of course. The Jets weren’t game planning for the Eagles. But it was early evidence that Hurts will be better at executing the same offense for consecutive years for the first time since high school. And that Sirianni knows his offense has to favor the pass if there is to be immediate and long-term success.

The preseason is for the birds. The Williams hit was egregious. Jets coach Robert Saleh admitted as much after the game, even though he got into a brief cross-field screaming match with Sirianni. Perhaps it was Jets quarterback Zach Wilson’s non-contact knee injury that made him call out his own player. Wilson’s knee injury may not be as bad as originally feared, but it does reinforce the idea that playing your starters in the preseason is probably unnecessary.

Joint practices offer a controlled setting for teams to prepare and evaluate their first units. The Eagles have two-day scrimmages against the Browns and Dolphins that will allow Sirianni to rest Hurts, et al in the final two preseason games. It helps that the starters on both sides of the ball performed well enough in just one series to satisfy their coach.

The Eagles came out relatively unscathed it seems. Rookie running back Britain Covey did something to his hand. But they escaped without significant harm and that was probably their most significant takeaway.

Jalen Reagor further secured a roster spot. The third-year wide receiver played deep into the first half, which to some, suggested that the Eagles were showcasing him. Eh, maybe. I just can’t imagine teams are interested considering the film from his first two seasons and his first-round contract. Reagor had a decent showing. He caught three of four targets for 26 yards and fielded two punts. On the attempt he didn’t catch, quarterback Gardner Minshew threw a pretty good back-shoulder pass, but Reagor’s route didn’t look precise. On the punts, he fair-caught the first, and netted zero yards on the second. His instinct on returns is too often to run east or west vs. north to south.

Reagor has had a solid camp, though, and should be the fourth receiver behind Brown, Smith, and Watkins. That may not give him the playing time he wants, and may not justify the Eagles’ investment, but he does provide some depth. Zach Pascal is a sure bet to be the fifth receiver. He caught 2 of 4 passes for 41 yards. Covey’s bid to sneak on as the sixth receiver may have been set back. He didn’t have any receptions and looked just OK on two punt returns, but the injury could force the Eagles to put him on injured reserve.

Minshew doesn’t have to worry about Reid Sinnett. Minshew has struggled in camp. It has been our film glimpses of him as a practice player. Maybe he’s more of a gamer because he looked fine against the Jets. Minshew completed 8 of 12 passes for 81 yards. He had a downfield throw to Watkins that was perfect, except that it went through the receiver’s hands.

Sinnett, who had been performing well in camp, looked the third-stringer part vs. the Jets. His first pass should have been intercepted. He had a few unfortunate throws and was sacked three times. Sinnett did lead the Eagles on an 18-play drive that gave them a late fourth-quarter lead. But Minshew doesn’t have to look over his shoulder for fear of losing the QB2 spot. Sinnett, on the other hand, still has the edge on rookie Carson Strong, who didn’t even get a snap.

Extra points: Brandon Graham hasn’t missed a beat in practice, but his return from last season’s torn Achilles injury is near complete. The veteran defensive end looked very much like his old self when he set the edge and dropped Jets running back Breece Hall for no gain. … The Eagles had 16 players who were inactive. The only surprise was starting left guard Landon Dickerson, who sat out part of Wednesday, but wasn’t listed on the pre-practice injury report. The Eagles said he has a sore foot and set his timetable for return as day to day. … The game marked the first time reporters were permitted into the Eagles’ locker room for postgame interviews since the pandemic. “Feel like I haven’t seen you guys in three years,” tackle Lane Johnson said. It’s been close to that. While most readers don’t necessarily need to know the sausage-making behind the stories, an open locker should give fans more information and better storytelling about their team.