5 Players To Watch In Patriots vs. Eagles Preseason Battle

After two joint practices together, the New England Patriots wrap up their week against the Philadelphia Eagles with a Saturday night preseason battle.

With the pair of competitive practices under their belts, it is unlikely the Patriots give significant playing time (if any) to their projected regular season contributors.

With that, here are five names to keep an eye on in New England's second of three preseason matchups.

OT Caleb Lomu

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tackle Caleb Lomu (74) does a drill during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Patriots' 2026 first-round draft selection has had an up-and-down summer. Most of Lomu's reps have come at right tackle, including spending some time rotating in with the starting offense when starter Morgan Moses gets veteran rest days. However, Lomu has also spent time at left tackle, which he played in college, and even got some work in at guard during the spring.

While Lomu looked the part in last week's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he struggled at times in this week's joint practices with the Eagles.

"It's a good challenge coming out here going against a really good team," Lomu said following Thursday's joint practice. "Nothing's perfect out here ... A lot to learn from, but some good things that I did, also some mistakes that I'm excited to go watch the film and get coached on and learn."

If Lomu can find consistency on Saturday, it would provide comfortability in the case that Moses is unable to play all 17 regular season games.

RB Hassan Haskins

Aug 25, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Hassan Haskins (25) during the warmups before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Patriots signed Haskins last Wednesday, the day before the team's preseason matchup with the Colts. With running backs Terrell Jennings and Myles Montgomery out due to injuries, Haskins could sneak his way onto New England's 53-man roster as a backup to Rhamondre Stevenson and Treveyon Henderson.

Haskins was a fourth-round pick during Vrabel's time as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and has a mix of experience on offense and special teams. The 26-year-old had five carries for 15 yards in last week's preseason matchup against the Colts, despite being on the Patriots' roster for less than 36 hours at the time.

Now, with over a week under his belt learning the playbook, anticipate a larger role for Haskins against the Eagles.

LB K.J. Britt

Jul 25, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker K.J. Britt (35) walks to the practice fields at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Britt will have to fight his way onto the Patriots' roster, but a forced fumble against the Colts last week may have kickstarted his ascent. Ahead of him, Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss are locks to be New England's starting linebackers. While Chad Muma had been working as the team's third linebacker, a poor preseason performance against the Indianapolis Colts may have put that standing in question.

Just over a week ago, Britt also appeared to be behind sixth-round rookie Namdi Obiazor and undrafted free agent Khalil Jacobs.

But now? That dynamic has had a shift. This week, Britt worked around everywhere, spending time with both the top defense and the backup units. If he continues to impress in the preseason, New England could end up giving him a 53-man roster spot instead of one of its rookies.

C Jacob Rizy

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive lineman Jacob Rizy (64) does a drill during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rizy was thrown into the fire last week when center Ben Brown went down with an injury. The undrafted rookie wound up playing more than three quarters of the game, significantly more than his third-string peers.

"For a young center to go in there, it was good," Vrabel said about Rizy's performance in the preseason opener. "I didn't think that the way he got thrown into the game by injury was too big for him. He was prepared."

With Brown expected to miss multiple weeks and fellow interior backup Andrew Rupcich being palced on injuured reserve, Rizy could stumble his way onto the 53-man roster due to New England's lack of depth at the position.

P Bryce Baringer

Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New England Patriots punter Bryce Baringer (17) punts during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Punters are people too. While Baringer had a rough end to his 2026 season, he has continued to prove his worth throughout training camp and the preseason.

Baringer's 47.4 yards per punt last year was only 19th-best in the NFL, while his 21 punts downed inside the 20-yard line was tied for 21st-most in the league. Simply put, he was pretty average last season.

Last week, however, Baringer's six punts averaged a booming 51.5 yards. If he can have a similar performance on Saturday night against the Eagles, it may be a positive sign of things to come for Baringer and the Patriots this season.

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