Eagles-Ravens analysis: Jalen Hurts sat as Kenny Pickett started and Jake Elliott’s do-over was the game-winner

BALTIMORE — The first true glimpse of Jalen Hurts operating the Eagles’ reworked offensive system in a live setting will have to wait.

After spending a week avoiding saying whether the starters would participate in the team’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni decided to have the majority of key offensive contributors spectate from the sideline in street clothes Friday rather than going through the motions at M&T Bank Stadium. The majority of the players who rested, including Hurts, Lane Johnson, and Cam Jurgens, suited up and went through a pregame routine before changing just before kickoff.

After the game, Sirianni said the chance of heavy rain showers forecasted led to him deciding to hold the offensive starters back.

“Just the chance of the weather, how it was all day, the field was a little wet when we got out there,” Sirianni said. “Just wanted to have a clean operation, I didn’t want to put them on something that I felt like, depending on the weather, could have been a little messy. I wanted to give them a clean track.”

Even with a handful of key figures watching from the bench, there was plenty to glean about position battles, rookie transitions, and more from the team’s 16-13 win. Here’s our instant analysis from the preseason opener:

Kenny Pickett got the start instead of Hurts, leading a group that included an offensive line of Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Brett Toth, Mekhi Becton, and Darian Kinnard. Johnny Wilson, Britain Covey, and John Ross made up the starting trio of wide receivers while Grant Calcaterra and Kenneth Gainwell got the nod at tight end and running back.

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Tyler Steen came in for Becton on the Eagles’ second offensive series, signaling the competition at right guard is still within reach for the 2023 third-round pick. Steen played the entirety of the first half after coming in for Becton, although he suffered an apparent leg injury during the first quarter that left him walking gingerly for a few series. Steen, who missed time with an ankle injury earlier in training camp, struggled at times in pass protection and was charged with a holding penalty on the team’s third series.

“I thought [Becton] did some nice things,” Sirianni said. “He came out after because that’s what we wanted, to get his feet wet at that position, and we’ll see if we play him next week at that spot to start the game. We have a lot of time … I think he has a lot of more reps to get, we just wanted to see him for a series tonight.”

The second series ended in Pickett’s first touchdown pass as a member of the Eagles, finding rookie running back Will Shipley from 7 yards out. Pickett played the entire first half and one additional series in the second half, finishing 14-for-22 for 89 yards and one touchdown.

The Eagles dressed more of their defensive starters for the game, something Sirianni said was because the group is less affected by slick conditions than the offense.

“The operation is a little bit different for the defense,” Sirianni said. “Obviously they don’t handle the ball every down, a couple of the defensive starters that I did take out were older guys. But it was more about the operation and wanting to make sure that the weather was clean. Now, the weather held off, but I know they’re wrong a lot on the weather reports.”

The group in uniform included cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who made his return to football after serving a one-season suspension for violating the league’s betting policy, a suspension that led to the Indianapolis Colts releasing the 26-year-old before the 2023 season. Rodgers, who tweeted about the “592 days” he spent away from football the morning before the game, was back for the first kick return of the evening although it sailed into the end zone for a touchback.

Rodgers started in the secondary along with first-round rookie Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo, Reed Blankenship, and Avonte Maddox. Mitchell started the first series at slot cornerback before bumping out when the Eagles went to a base defense with five down linemen, which included Milton Williams. The former Toledo standout Mitchell had a third-down pass breakup that resulted in the Ravens kicking a 46-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Bryce Huff, and Nolan Smith made up the defensive line while Devin White and Zack Baun started at linebacker.

Jake Elliott had a rough 59 minutes and 56 seconds, but came through just in time to avoid a regretful ride back up I-95.

The veteran kicker missed the PAT on the Eagles’ second series, which contributed to the Eagles entering the final stretch of the fourth quarter tied, 13-13.

Elliott got a chance for redemption as the Eagles offense drove into Ravens territory in the final minute and set him up for a 50-yard field goal attempt, but Elliott’s kick caromed off the right upright to keep things deadlocked. As meaningless as preseason results are, the prospect of Elliott finishing the game with two missed kicks may have been a minor reason for concern, but Patrick Johnson gave the kicker a mulligan.

Rushing off the edge on the first play of the Ravens’ ensuing series, Johnson knocked the ball loose from Baltimore quarterback Emory Jones’ hands and recovered the fumble as he fell to the ground, setting up a 49-yarder for Elliott after the Eagles ran a quarterback sneak to get him slightly closer. Taking his second attempt in a matter of minutes, Elliott drilled the kick to give the Eagles’ a win over a Ravens team notorious for caring a little more about preseason results than most teams.

“I was glad he got another opportunity,” Sirianni said. “I have no doubt that he’ll be even better because of some of the adversity that he went through today, but I can’t tell you how much I trust Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rick Lovato, and the operation.”

In general, the Eagles’ rookie class represented itself quite well in the early going Friday.

In addition to Shipley’s touchdown catch to go along with 23 rushing yards and Mitchell’s pass breakup, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Jalyx Hunt each flashed potential to become contributors in this year’s defense.

Trotter’s night got going with an open-field tackle in punt coverage. A few plays later, he came downhill to tackle Ravens running back Owen Wright for a modest gain with a strong tackle. The fifth-round pick’s best moment came on the decisive final play of the series when he tracked down Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson at the line of scrimmage as the quarterback tried to break the pocket, registering a sack.

Trotter Jr. finished tied for the team-high with five tackles to go along with his sack.

While the former Clemson standout was patrolling the middle of the field, his fellow rookie Hunt had some nice moments both going downhill and dropping into space. As a former defensive back turned edge rusher, the third-round pick out of Houston Christian is more of an upside play rather than someone expected to contribute immediately.

Still, Hunt showed a comfortability dropping into zone coverage to go along with a couple pressures in his preseason debut. On the Ravens’ second series, Hunt got into the backfield on a Johnson passing attempt on first down and made a tackle on second down on a Ravens bubble screen after lining up off the line of scrimmage over Baltimore’s slot receiver.

Hunt dropped into coverage again in the second half on Trotter’s sack, blanketing Ravens’ running back Rasheen Ali as he streaked down the sideline on a wheel route.

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Lew Nichols continued to stand out among the reserve running backs, rushing for 21 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. … It was a shaky night for Eagles returners, most notably Ainias Smith. The fifth-round rookie returned three punts, two of which went for a modest gain and one that ended with him fumbling out of bounds. On the new-look kickoff, Shipley and Ross both went for the ball and bumped each other as Shipley fielded the kick for a 24-yard return.

Ringo got the nod in the starting secondary, but was notably the last of the starting trio of corners playing in the second half. Rodgers clearly remains ahead of him on the depth chart for the time being, perhaps Mitchell has overtaken him as well? … James Bradberry played well into the second half and before eventually giving way to Andre’ Sam early in the fourth quarter. He had a quiet night without any stats logged, but that’s not necessarily the worst thing for a safety.

The Eagles will travel to Foxborough, Mass. to practice against the New England Patriots on Tuesday before their second preseason game on Thursday night. Given the lack of playing time for the Eagles’ starting offense, Tuesday’s session will hold even greater importance in gauging the group’s readiness for the regular season.