Eagles Get Glimpse of New Weapons in Preseason Loss to Ravens
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their preseason opener Saturday evening in Baltimore, but in the grand scheme of things, it's hard to spend more than 10 seconds recounting what could have been in a 20-19 loss to the Ravens. Come Week 1, quarterback Ian Book -- who struggled in the fourth quarter -- will likely be a distant memory for Eagles fans.
What is worth considering is the impact that two of the team's new additions had in the game: quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back D'Andre Swift.
Mariota started at quarterback, with Jalen Hurts not playing in the first preseason game. While he completed 7 of 11 pass attempts, Mariota didn't look especially sharp throwing the ball. If he has to start a game or two in place of Hurts this season, the Eagles will probably be fine. If he's the starting quarterback for any significant chunk of time, it may be a struggle for coach Nick Sirianni's squad to even return to the postseason for the third time in as many years.
But while the former Heisman Trophy winner has never entirely put things together at the NFL level, his athleticism still jumps off the page. On four occasions Saturday, Mariota carried the ball, tallying an impressive 29 yards. That, of course, will be valuable if he has to start at quarterback at all this season. It may also be valuable even if Hurts is healthy.
When he was backing up Derek Carr for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2020-2021, Mariota would come in on some short-yardage plays as an option to either keep the ball and run for the first down, or throw it if the defense stacked the box in anticipation of him rushing. Obviously, Hurts is lightyears more athletic than Carr, but having Mariota come in occasionally and do some of the dirty work could help Hurts stay healthier as the season progresses.
Even if Hurts is typically successful keeping the ball himself in short-yardage situations, it's hard to entirely avoid hits when rushing. But Mariota replacing him once in a while and having Hurts not get hit altogether is an intriguing idea. Heck, having Hurts and Mariota on the field together in a gadget play might be fun.
Meanwhile, Swift is certain to be at the forefront of the Eagles' rushing attack after being acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions during April's draft. Swift only carried the ball twice in the preseason opener, but that's all he needed to make an impact, as evidenced by his 22-yard carry during the first drive of the game.
As long as Hurts is the Eagles quarterback, they are almost certain to have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. But despite losing Miles Sanders in free agency during the offseason, the additions of Mariota, Swift and Rashaad Penny -- who had 34 rushing yards on nine carries Saturday -- could help the Eagles to be even more dangerous on the ground this season than they were a year ago.
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