Five Bubble Players to Watch in Eagles-Patriots

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles hosted two joint practices against the New England Patriots earlier this week in advance of tonight’s preseason game which could make things a little anti-climatic for the starters, at least according to head coach Nick Sirianni.

"These two practices (Monday) and (Tuesday) are game-like, as much game-like as you can possibly get," Sirianni told SI.com's Eagle Maven. "That's why I value these practices so much."

Perhaps Jalen Hurts gets a few more than the 10 snaps he played in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh a week ago.

Maybe Miles Sanders plays after sitting out vs. the Steelers and it's at least conceivable DeVonta Smith makes a cameo appearance after the first-round pick returned to team drills Tuesday after missing a little more than two weeks with a sprained MCL.

That said, Thursday is going to be about the bubble players fighting for 53-man roster spots, and the following players will see plenty of action.

Playing time is only the first part of the equation. For those on the bubble, they need to also make sure their stocks are pointing up at the final gun.

The Eagles' roster sits at 85 after RB Kerryon Johnson, OL Luke Juriga, and OT Casey Tucker were waived-injured on Tuesday. The roster needs to be at 80 by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

LB Patrick Johnson - The rookie seventh-round pick has gotten plenty of first-team reps at the SAM linebacker position while Ryan Kerrigan has been limited with a thumb injury, Genard Avery has dealt with a groin injury and Joe Ostman has had to sit in concussion protocol.

An edge rusher at Tulane, Johnson hasn't looked overwhelmed by his transition and this is a late-round pick who could not only push for a roster spot but also playing time because Avery and Ostman are also making the transition from edge players to LB and are hardly proven commodities.

WR John Hightower - Hightower is up against it from a numbers standpoint. From the outside, looking in there are three definites at WR for Nick Sirianni: Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Quez Watkins, a fourth in the highly-likely category, Greg Ward, and No. 5 presumably a battle between the slumping Travis Fulgham and the hard-charging J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

Hightower, a fifth-round pick in 2020, can probably only force his way into the competition via injury elsewhere or if the Eagles decide to keep six wideouts.

In the latter scenario, Hightower, who has missed time in camp with a groin injury, will really have to play well in the final two preseason games to even enter the conversation.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu - The Southern Cal product has the advantage of being a 2021 draft pick but the sixth-round selection has not stood out in practice or the preseason opener.

With starter Javon Hargrave almost certainly out Thursday with an ankle injury that will likely bump either Hassan Ridgeway or T.Y. McGill to the starting lineup and the domino effect to that will be Raequan Williams and Tuipulotu getting extended playing time against the Pats.

Competency won't even cut it for Tuipolotu, he needs to make some splash plays to open some eyes or likely be ticketed for the practice squad.

OT Brett Toth - Toth has really stood out as a potential swing tackle and the Eagles have even started cross-training a little bit inside with Toth to see how far his versatility can range.

His seal block during Watkins' 79-yard bubble-screed touchdown against the Steelers was only overlooked because Richard Rodgers' kick-out block was so spectacular.

If Toth continues to impress, it might make Howie Roseman more willing to shop Andre Dillard and Matt Pryor in what is an offensive line-deficient league as a whole.

S Elijah Riley - Special teams might be the tiebreaker between Riley and free-agent pickup Andrew Adams, players who have both flashed at times in practice on the back end.

With Rodney McLeod's return looming before Week 6, the PUP list isn't in the cards for the veteran so the Eagles will have to carry McLeod, along with their best safety, Anthony Harris, and the two players dueling to be McLeod's fill in while he nears the completion of his ACL rehab: Marcus Epps and K'Von Wallace.

That leaves only one potential spot and Riley's versatility and youth could be the tiebreaker if he finishes the deal by playing strongly.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH: Five Things to Watch in Eagles-Patriots Game - Sports Illustrated

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.