Browns-Eagles Stock Market: Cleveland Finishes Off A Productive Week With Preseason Win Over Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - The goal for the Eagles in Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns was a little different depending on the side of the football.

The defense was intent on clarifying some significant competitions that will have an impact on the 2025 team, while the offense was handed over to Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord in what was a 22-13 setback.

Neither side accomplished much for Philadelphia.

The numbers indicate a dominant performance by the Browns, with a 331 to 88 advantage in total offense, but rookie Drew Mukuba's playmaking skills on defense kept Philadelphia in the contest for most of the way.

Here's the Eagles' postgame stick market report:

THE BULLS:

Drew Mukuba - The Eagles scored 13 points despite 38 yards of total offense in the first half.

You can thank Muluba for that. First, the Eagles’ second-round pick took a poor decision and a late throw by Dillon Gabriel back 75 yards for a pick six to get Philadelphia on the board.

Later in the first half, Mukuba was Johnny on the spot when Gabriel and Pierre Strong botched a handoff, setting up a short field for the offense, which was ultimately converted when Ainias Smith generated consistent separation on an inside slant by Kyle McCord for a 9-yard TD pass.

"I always thought that he has a knack for the football," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said when asked about Mukuba by Eagles on SI post-game. "How he practices, watching his tape whether it was at Clemson or at Texas, and he has the ability to take the ball away as a playmaker.

"Any time you go out there and make a play, that’s big. That was exciting, the interception. And even the one when he was there for the fumble recovery after they had a missed exchange. Guys that have a knack for the football just find ways to be around the football and I think that’s what we saw today."

Ainias Smith - Smith was able to flash his short-area quickness on two occasions. Before the TD, the former Texas A&M star disengaged for a 10-yard gain on a slant.

It might not seem like much, but 19 yards when you generate only 37 over the first 30 minutes is pretty substantial.

"I think you’ve seen his explosiveness that we saw at Texas A&M, and his ability to get out of breaks," Sirianni said when discussing Smith. "I felt like I started to see that as well last year as he started to recover [from a stress fracture in his shin].

"He’s got the ability to separate, he’s got ability to make plays, and he made a couple nice plays. He had a third-down conversion early in the game and then he had the third-and-nine at the nine where he separated and had the touchdown catch. He has the ability to separate because he has good body quicks."

Jihaad Campbell - Campbell showed off his freaky athleticism from the second level early in the game when he got loose for a 4-yard sack of Gabriel and stayed bust overall with four tackles.

THE BEARS:

Preseason games: The league-wide trend is now de-emphasizing preseason games in favor of joint practices when it comes to the key players.

All the reps in the sessions between the Browns and Eagles on Wednesday and Thursday were with the ones and twos, except for a small developmental period at the end of the Wednesday practice.

That means the entrenched players on each team got in their work during the week in front of fewer prying eyes.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: It’s not so much that Trotter didn’t play well as being the victim of Campbell flashing his upside. With Zack Baun returning soon, it’s going to be hard for Trotter to hold off the playmaking skill of the first-round pick, and the fact that Trotter played into the third quarter is not a positive in this environment.

Third-Down Defense - The Eagles have up six consecutive third downs to start the game against a rookie QB in Gabriel despite a host of could-be starters playing.

The main culprits were the lack of an interior push up front and some issues in the slot with undrafted rookie Brandon Johnson.

STAGNANT STOCK:

The cornerbacks: Adoree’ Jackson gave up completions but kept things in front of him. Recent trade pickup Jakorian Bennett had a PBU and added some solid work on special teams, while Kelee Ringo continues to seem a step behind. In other words, business as usual.

MOST NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENT:

Rookie fifth-round pick Drew Kendall got second-team reps at left guard instead of Darian Kinnard, who had been doing that at practice since Landon Dickerson went down with his meniscus injury.

This felt like an audition for Kendall if Dickerson isn't ready for Week 1. Brett Toth started the game at LG and then moved to center in the second half. It seems like the Eagles wouldn't want Toth playing in the regular season, however.

Kinnard, meanwhile, started at right guard.

MORE NFL: Eagles CB Competition Is Expanding When It Should Be Contracting