10 Winners, 10 Losers From Eagles Preseason: Carson Steele Makes 53-Man Roster Case

The Philadelphia Eagles -- thankfully -- had their preseason come to a close.

The Eagles went 0-3 in their three preseaosn games, and really didn't look impressive in the majority of them. Outside of the second team offensive line and run game, there wasn't much to brag about with this new look offense.

This was a rough preseason for the Eagles, but it's just preseason. The Eagles run a vanilla offense and put more stock into the entire training camp than three preseason games.

Still some jobs can be won or lost in the preseason, and roster spots can be had. That's what this preseason was for the Eagles, and some roster spots were set before the Eagles even played a snap in the preseason finale.

These were the winners and losers from the three preseason games, and there were plenty on both sides. Some tidbits from the preseason finale are in here as well.

Winners

Willie Lampkin: Notice how Lampkin didn't play in the preseason finale? That's the sign he made the 53-man roster. Lampkin was excellent finding his blocker and creating holes in the A-gap and B-gap in the two preseason games he played, earning his spot with his run blocking. Lampkin may be short in stature, but he plays if he can start in the league down the line.

Darius Cooper: Cooper didn't play in the preseason finale either, another sign he made the 53. Was this preseason good for Cooper? No, but he put in a good month of training camp to earn that roster spot. All you had to witness was the catches Cooper was making over the middle from Jalen Hurts. Cooper was on the bubble heading into the final week, but that roster spot was sealed on Friday night.

Carson Steele: This is the reason the Eagles should carry four running backs. Steele was the Eagles best receiver in the preseason, and he plays fullback! He had eight catches for 52 yards and a touchdown in the preseason finale -- after having six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown the week before. Steele earned a spot on the 53, and the Eagles could use a fullback.

Smael Mondon: This was a very good preseason for Mondon, as his play instincts show up when rewatching games. Mondon had an excellent read on a screen pass to Tahj Brooks that resulted for a six-yard loss. Mondon has a spot on the 53, but the Eagles are insanely deep at inside linebacker. Going to be hard for him to see the field.

Ty Robinson: Of the players that stood out this preseason, it was Robinson. He had three sacks in seven quarters this preseason, earning his roster spot in the second preseason game when he finished with two sacks in the first half. Robinson figured something out in camp and has consistently gotten in the backfield when given the opportunity. Robinson had a 21.4% pressure rate in the preseason finale against the Bengals.

Drew Kendall: He didn't have to play in the preseason finale. Kendall earned the No. 3 guard spot, a she was a catalyst behind the Eagles' second team offensive line looking as good as they had this preseason. Kendall is going to play a crucial role on the offensive line this year, as the top backup to Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen. He may see some meaningful snaps.

Will Shipley: What an impressive preseason for Shipley, as he locked down the RB3 job with the way he hit the hole and made big plays in the run game. Shipley did benefit from the offensive line creating the holes for him, but he took advantage by hitting the A-gap and B-gap with authority. Shipley averaged 2.94 yards after contact per rush, showcasing how good he was this preseason.

Joshua Weru: For a player who never put pads on before last month, Weru had one heck of a preseason. He finished with five pressures in 38 pass rushes, a 13.2% pressure rate. He also had two quarterback hits and a sack. Weru had two pressures in the preseason finale and should make the 53, as it's going to be hard for the Eagles to let him go to waivers. Weru needs to be on the 53.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr: A dominant preseason for Trotter Jr., who showed he should be starting in the NFL somewhere. For this season, the Eagles have him and his ability to find his way to make plays to the football. A very instinctual player, Trotter Jr. has a major role on this defense this year and Vic Fangio will find a way to get him snaps with the first team defense.

Micah Morris: The preseason finale may have sealed the final roster spot for Morris, as he was excellent in pass protection. Morris didn't allow a pressure in 46 pass-blocking snaps and was only beaten by the defender twice. His physicality also showed up in the run game. Morris allowed just one pressure in 96 pass-blocking snaps in three preseason games, a pressure rate allowed per dropback of 1.0%. He should make this team.

Losers

Tanner McKee: McKee was the front runner for the QB2 job heading into the preseason finale, having played well in the second preseason game to get to that point. He was horrendous in the finale, going 12-of-22 for 55 yards with a 41.1 rating. When facing pressure, McKee was 2-of-5 for 0 yards. Whatever happens this weekend, it doesn't feel like McKee will be the QB2. The Eagles may have to trade for someone to back up Jalen Hurts.

Andy Dalton: The Eagles had Dalton play into the fourth quarter of the preseason finale, which doesn't make much sense. Dalton was horrendous in the preseason, the only highlight being a touchdown pass to Carson Steele on a screen. There were plenty of opportunities for Dalton to seize the QB2 job and he just couldn't take it. It will be shocking if Dalton is on the 53.

Makai Lemon: The final preseason game was about Lemon getting valuable reps, but the first-round pick did not look ready for the NFL. Perhaps it was the performance of Tanner McKee, but Lemon struggled to gain separation on an outside post and a bobbled pass led to a McKee interception. It was good for Lemon to get into this game, but he has a lot to work on.

Eli Stowers: A horrible training camp where Stowers couldn't get any separation in the passing game with poor blocking, followed by a hamstring injury prior to the preseason finale. This was a game Stowers could have used a game's worth of reps, yet was unavailable. Stowers was trending towards a healthy scratch in Week 1 prior to the injury, but now the Eagles just have to focus on getting him healthy. He struggled in the two preseason games prior to the final week.

Kapena Gushiken: There was a defensive back spot up for grabs, whether it was at cornerback or safety (pending on if the Eagles wanted to keep six cornerbacks or four safeties). Gushiken was the front runner for the job heading into the preseason finale, but laid an egg. He was beaten pretty easily in coverage, and allowed two completions for 26 yards as the primary defender (93.2 rating). This wasn't a good look for Gushiken, who played his way into a spot on the bubble prior to the finale.

Mac McWilliams: Due to all the cornerback injuries, McWilliams ended up on the roster bubble. McWilliams played a lot of snaps in the preseason, but the final test was in the preseason finale against the Bengals. Things didn't go well for McWilliams, as he gave up four completions (on four targets as the primary defender) and a 118.8 passer rating. McWilliams may have played his way off the 53.

John Ojukwu: This was an up-and-down preseason for Ojukwu, as he played his way into the competition for the final offensive line spot. If the Eagles go off the preseason finale. Ojukwu won't make the initial 53. Ojukwu was beaten four times in 33 pass blocking snaps and allowed a sack. The bad quarterback play didn't help, but Ojukwu didn't make a good final impression.

Michael Jordan: Jordan was surpassed by Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin in the battle for a roster spot at guard, and essentially became a roster long shot heading into the final preseason game. He sealed his roster fate in the preseason finale, getting beat three times by the defender in 43 pass blocking snaps. Don't expect to see Jordan on the 53.

Myles Hinton: This was a tackle that was projected to make the initial 53 prior to the start of training camp, but fell significantly out of favor. Hinton didn't play well at guard or tackle throughout camp, and didn't get into the final preseason game until the second half. Roster fate sealed.

Cole Payton: The fifth-round pick barely played in the preseason, and didn't get a lot of snaps in the preseason finale. Are the Eagles going to cut Payton? He didn't enter the game until under five minutes left in the third preseason game. Who knows what Philadelphia is going to do with Payton, but he was horrendous in training camp -- which led to lack of action in the preseason. It didn't help Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton weren't good either.

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