Some ugliness was to be expected from the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that saw them feature almost entirely backups, but they played far worse than expected on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. In fact, had a pick-six from Andrew Mukuba not occurred, the 22-13 loss would've looked even worse.
Overall, the Eagles mustered up a total of 88 yards of offense. Yes, it was that bad. While they had some hiccups defensively as well, three offensive players might've just played their way off the roster against Cleveland.
Whether these players are cut, traded or end up on the practice squad remains to be seen, and there's still one more game for them to flip the script, but for now, these players are behind the eight ball when it comes to making the regular season roster.
3 Eagles players who hurt their chances of making the roster in preseason loss vs. Browns
3) Keilan Robinson, running back
The Eagles have a loaded running back room. Saquon Barkley is the obvious starter, and both Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon are near locks. Those are three spots right there. Sure, the Eagles might choose to roster four backs, but the fact that there only might be one spot up for grabs suggests every snap for a guy like Keilan Robinson matters. It goes without saying that Robinson did not take advantage of said opportunities on Saturday.
In Philadelphia's first preseason game, Robinson had a team-leading 12 carries yet ranked fourth with 24 yards on the ground. On Saturday, Robinson was tied for the team lead with six carries, yet he totaled just nine yards. He's getting the work he needs to make an impression, but is failing to do so.
At this point, the Eagles ought to feature someone else in their third and final preseason game, whether that be Montrell Johnson Jr. or even Will Shipley, who didn't play on Saturday. Robinson has gotten his chances and has proven to not be the guy.
The odds are probably against the Eagles carrying four running backs to begin with, and if they do, Robinson isn't looking likely to be one of them.
2) Kyle McCord, quarterback
With both Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee sitting, Kyle McCord had a golden opportunity to show that he's rosterable as a third quarterback. It's safe to say he didn't do so on Saturday.
McCord went 8-for-16 while playing a good amount of the game, totaling 47 yards in the air. He did pass for a touchdown to cap an impressive first drive, which was nice to see, but other than that one strong series, McCord showed very little to be proud of.
The Eagles used a sixth-round pick on McCord, and they'd conceivably like to keep him around in some capacity, but when it comes to making the team's 53-man roster as a QB3, is anything we've seen from McCord thus far standing out on the positive end of the spectrum? Not really. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Eagles seek an upgrade.
1) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback
Speaking of lackluster quarterback play, as underwhelming as McCord was, Dorian Thompson-Robinson was even worse. The game's starter wound up going 5-for-8 for 17 yards passing and he even threw a pick-six. Yes, he averaged just 2.1 yards per attempt, which is absurdly low, and he didn't lead the team on a single scoring drive.
The Eagles kept flip-flopping Thompson-Robinson and McCord in and out of the game hoping one of them would get something going, but that just didn't end up happening. McCord had the one drive for the Eagles to hang their hats on, but Thompson-Robinson had none.
Does he really profile as their ideal QB3 based on how he played? I mean, McCord struggled to complete half of his passing attempts, but at least he's a rookie. Thompson-Robinson is entering his third NFL season and has 15 games (five starts) under his belt. The Eagles have to have expected to have seen far more from him.
If the Eagles roster three quarterbacks, McCord probably has the leg up at this point even with his lack of experience based on what we've seen. It might be in the Eagles' best interest to let both of these quarterbacks go, though, and instead bring in someone else to fill that QB3 role.