Eagles grades: Was Oren Burks’ impact vs. Vikings enough to make a roster case ahead of cutdown day?

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in a 26-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field:

Kenny Pickett’s tendency to take a long time for short attempts continued Saturday. He finished 6-for-9 for 58 yards and had a few notable miscues before giving way to Tanner McKee at halftime. On the Eagles’ third series, Pickett hit tight end E.J. Jenkins on an out-breaking route underneath just as rookie receiver Ainias Smith was separating on an intermediate route past the sticks. Jenkins was tackled just short of the first-down marker, and the Eagles failed to convert on the ensuing fourth-and-1 rushing attempt.

Pickett did briefly get into a rhythm. He found Parris Campbell over the middle of the field for a 19-yard gain, scrambled for a 4-yard gain, and then targeted Campbell on a skinny post that drew a pass-interference call. It may have been Pickett’s best stretch of the summer, but the lack of scoring production for the team is emblematic of the quarterbacks’ collective struggles.

McKee’s second half got off to a nightmarish start when the second-year signal caller coughed up the ball as Vikings outside linebacker Andre Carter brought him down for a sack. McKee didn’t get much help from his receiving targets. Jenkins had a drop in the corner of the end zone during the third quarter, and his perfect toss to Joseph Ngata resulted in the receiver batting the ball into the air and into the hands of Vikings safety Jay Ward for his second turnover of the day.

Will Grier came in midway through the fourth quarter for his first extended action of the preseason. He finished 4-for-6 for 16 yards.

Tyrion Davis-Price getting the nod over Lew Nichols offered a window into where the two backs stood, but any favor Davis-Price had quickly took a hit. The Eagles called the 23-year-old’s number six consecutive times on their opening drive, and it proved to be one too many, as Davis-Price lost a fumble on his sixth carry to end the team’s opening series.

Davis-Price rebounded afterward with some productive runs between the tackles. He finished with a team-high 12 carries for 56 yards to put together a reasonably encouraging performance as he and Nichols fight to compel the Eagles to carry a fourth running back.

In a relatively limited role, Nichols had an uneventful showing underscored by an inability to pick up a first down when the Eagles faced fourth-and-1 from midfield. It wasn’t all his fault, though. More on that later.

Ngata and Campbell got the starting honors, and the latter’s day ended after a few bright moments. Campbell missed much of training camp, which explained his inclusion in the group that dressed, and was reasonably productive with two catches for 34 yards and that downfield pass-interference penalty he drew.

Ngata’s impact was more harmful than good with two drops on two targets. Along with the batted McKee pass that ended up a tip-drill interception in the fourth quarter, he was unable to reel in a back-shoulder pass from Pickett earlier in the game.

In the tight end competition, it’s worth noting that Armani Rogers was to blame for McKee’s strip-sack. The 26-year-old gave up pressure to Carter and seemingly checked out on the play as McKee fumbled. Jenkins, who put together a strong camp otherwise, had the drop in the corner of the end zone toward the end of the third quarter. Jenkins also had a poor showing as a run blocker on Nichols’ failed fourth-and-1 rushing attempt, giving up pressure in the backfield.

Griffin Hebert led the team in receiving, managing three catches for 48 yards.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Vikings analysis: Birds standouts and roster bubble intrigue in the preseason finale

Max Scharping, Nick Gates, Dylan McMahon, Brett Toth, and Darian Kinnard were the starting offensive linemen, left to right.

Kinnard had a highlight block in the first half to spring a chunk gain for Davis-Price, while Scharping sealed the edge off. Otherwise, the group had a reasonably quiet afternoon in the best way possible with zero sacks allowed and a running game that was hindered by more than just the offensive front.

Toth had the worst moment among the starters, but it came on special teams, when he jumped early, which turned Jake Elliott’s chip shot into an intermediate attempt.

Nolan Smith was an eyebrow-raising inclusion among the dressed players, but perhaps the team wanted to see something from him. If so, Smith failed to deliver. He had just one tackle before spending most of the second half on the sideline and notably was washed out against the run on a few occasions.

Thomas Booker came into camp as a dark horse for the 53-man roster, but capped a strong summer with some key pressures Saturday. The 24-year-old got into the backfield with the Vikings facing second-and-goal on their second series and forced an overthrow from quarterback Jaren Hall. A few drives later, Booker got pressure on Hall again in a pivotal moment, coming off a twist stunt to cause an incompletion.

Julian Okwara still seems like a long shot for the initial 53, but he put together an impressive rush to start the second quarter with a sack and had a punishing hit in the third quarter that forced an incompletion with the Vikings facing third-and-goal from the Eagles’ 4-yard line.

Tarron Jackson made a late push for a roster spot as well. He had two second-half sacks, one of which led to a floated errant pass that a certain linebacker was unable to haul in (more on that later).

Oren Burks and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. were the first pairing of linebackers, with the former needing to make a late case to earn a roster spot after missing nearly all of training camp with a knee injury. It’s safe to say Burks looked “too good” to be getting heavy playing time in the third preseason game. While he had a costly neutral-zone infraction on the opening series, he settled into an impactful performance. He brought down Minnesota running back Myles Gaskin on a screen pass in space, a play that likely saved the Eagles defense, considering he was the only defender in the immediate vicinity.

The 29-year-old had a nice pass rush a few series later, getting past a block to take down Hall. Burks did miss his opportunity to really make his case, dropping an interception in the third quarter after Jackson forced a floated, errant throw from Vikings quarterback Matt Corral.

Ben VanSumeren, Burks’ main competition for the final spots on the Eagles’ roster, also had a few nice moments. He had a third-quarter sack after a well-timed blitz and had a key pass breakup at the goal line a few minutes earlier when he broke on a pass attempt to Minnesota running back DeWayne McBride.

For how competitive the final few roster spots on the cornerback depth chart have been all summer, it wasn’t exactly a banner day for those in contention. Cooper DeJean exhibiting some rust in his first game action since last November is understandable, but it was costly nonetheless. The second-round rookie was called for illegal contact on the Vikings’ opening series, negating a Tristin McCollum interception and giving Minnesota an automatic first down after facing third-and-11. DeJean settled in and made some encouraging tackles coming downhill against the run, but he is expectedly behind the curve after missing the first few weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury.

Outside of DeJean, the Eagles started Josh Jobe and Eli Ricks. Both had a low moment or two; Jobe got beat to the inside by Minnesota receiver Trishton Jackson for the Vikings’ first touchdown. Ricks gave up a deep completion a few drives later, failing to get his head around as Vikings wideout Lucky Jackson hauled in a 21-yard completion running down the sideline.

Zech McPhearson rotated in with Jobe and Ricks, signaling the uphill battle he faces to make the team. His coverage reps Saturday won’t help his cause much. McPhearson was caught out of position when Vikings receiver Jeshaun Jones caught an 8-yard slant route and was called for defensive pass interference down the field the next play.

McCollum was unlucky to have his first-quarter interception waved off. He came downhill nicely against the run later in the Vikings’ opening series to stop Gaskin for a modest gain. Later, McCollum appeared to be late picking up Vikings tight end N’Keal Harry streaking up the seam on a third-and-8. Harry gained 24 yards on the play, which led to a Minnesota field goal. In general, McCollum looked better coming downhill than he did dropping into coverage. He finished with a team-high nine tackles.

A false-start penalty gave Elliott a chance to get a two-for-one opportunity to practice the field goal operation on the Eagles’ second drive. The kicker hit both the 36-yard field goal and the ensuing 41-yarder, an encouraging sign, considering the shaky start he had to the preseason against the Baltimore Ravens.

To no surprise, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni once again elected not to play any defensive starters.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had a more vanilla pressure package than he’s typically known for, but the lack of pressure from free rushers on the Eagles quarterbacks suggests there weren’t too many missed calls up front.