The defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the Cleveland Browns Thursday night to open up Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
Typically, we see starters play more in the second week of the preseason as a final tune-up for Week 1. Browns QB Deshaun Watson is the exception. He will not take to the field with three other signal callers battling it out to be QB2 in Cleveland.
Here, we preview this matchup between the Browns and Eagles with pretty much everything you need to know heading in.
Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles: TV information, kickoff time, odds
- Kickoff: 7:30 PM ET
- Television: NFL Network
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
- Point spread: Eagles (-2.5)
Top storylines for Browns at Eagles
- Philadelphia Eagles running back situation: With Kenneth Gainwell sitting out the preseason opener for Philadelphia, new additions Rashaad Penny and D’Andre Swift found themselves featured. Penny gained 34 yards on nine attempts while Swift put up 24 yards on two rushes in his Eagles debut. The defending NFC champs are looking to replace free agent departure Miles Sanders. Depending on what we see Thursday night, it could be a three-headed approach behind Jalen Hurts in the backfield.
- Cleveland Browns backup wide receivers: Cleveland top spots at receiver are seemingly locked up with Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore. That doesn’t mean what we see Thursday night is meaningless. Rookie third-round pick Cedric Tillman has showed out this summer. But it was former undrafted free agent Austin Watkins who did his thing against Washington last week. He caught 6-of-8 targets for 71 yards. Youngster David Bell also put up a touchdown on four targets. We’re highly intrigued to see how these players perform against a loaded Eagles defense.
- Depth on the Eagles’ defense: Speaking of Philadelphia’s defense, it has to be one of the deepest in the game. Rookie first-round pick, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, has been dominant this summer. He displayed that in limited action last week (more on this later). However, it goes a lot further than that. Veteran defensive back Sydney Brown (nine tackles last week), linebacker Ben VanSumeren (six tackles), cornerback Mario Goodrich (two passes defended) and safety Terrell Edmunds (one sack) played well in the opener. It’ll be interesting to see who shows out once Thursday night comes around. Linebacker Myles Jack and rookie cornerback Eli Ricks are two top candidates.
- Browns veteran quarterbacks battling: Rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get the start for Cleveland Thursday night. That’s a story for below. What we do know is that veterans Joshua Dobbs and Kellen Mond could be battling it out for a spot on the 53-man roster. Dobbs started the Hall of Fame Game before being the first to replace Watson last week. Mond (20-of-31, 171 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) has performed better than Dobbs (8-of-16, 77 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) through two preseason games. How each of these players look Thursday night could play a large role in who enters Week 1 on the Browns’ 53.
Related: Top storylines for Week 2 of the NFL preseason
Cleveland Browns players to watch
Here’s a look at three Browns players to watch Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Speaking of Thompson-Robinson, he has been absolutely brilliant through two preseason games. The fifth-round pick from UCLA has completed 17-of-21 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Even before this, he caught the eye of Cleveland’s brass during training camp.
“I would say that’s certainly one of the things that were excited about being able to draft Dorian was how much football he has played in his life and in that college career,” Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on August 1. “How many times do we talk about banking reps and getting reps in the preseason and getting reps in the offseason? And he’s one that has played in a lot of games and been in a lot of big ones, so I think all of that serves him well.”
The talented Thompson-Robinson will now get his first start in the NFL. It comes against an Eagles defense that we noted above is extremely deep. Whether Philadelphia plays its starters in this one, Thompson-Robinson will be tested. Another strong performance could have him vying for the QB2 job behind Watson.
Related: 2023 NFL power rankings
Demetric Felton Jr.
Cleveland selected Felton in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft to be a jack-of-all-trades. He proved capable during his time at UCLA (827 total yards as a senior). However, none of this has come to fruition in two seasons with the Browns. Felton has put up just 209 total yards in 24 regular-season games.
Clearly on the roster bubble this summer, Felton opened the preseason with 31 yards on eight rush attempts. It wasn’t the greatest of performances, but it represented reps that he needs. We should see more from the young player Thursday night.
Ronnie Hickman Jr.
An undrafted free agent out of Ohio State this past spring, Hickman showed out big time in his preseason debut last week against Washington. The talented safety recorded two interceptions in the game and was all over the field.
It’s not rare that a player we didn’t see drafted the previous April earns a spot on a 53-man roster. However, what Hickman Jr. has displayed for Cleveland after a brilliant career with the Buckeyes has been eye-opening. He’ll get another chance against a talented Eagles team Thursday night.
Philadelphia Eagles players to watch
Here’s a look at three Eagles players to watch Thursday night on NFL Network.
Jalen Carter
It’s not hyperbole to say that Carter has looked like a No. 1 pick throughout the summer months. More so than his performance in limited action last week, the talented former Georgia defensive tackle has shown out during camp. It’s been something to behold.
Remember, Carter entered the pre-draft process being considered the top prospect in the class. An off-field situation coupled with him showing up to the Georgia Pro Day out of shape dropped Carter to the ninth pick in the annual event. He has dominant traits. He’s displayed these in a big way. We’re expecting them to be showcased against Cleveland.
Tanner McKee
In his first taste of in-game NFL action last week against Baltimore, this former Stanford standout had his ups-and-downs. The sixth-round pick completed 10-of-20 passes for 148 yards. He showed some solid accuracy throughout. Though, pocket awareness and getting through his reads was somewhat of an issue.
McKee is interesting in that he didn’t have a great amount of success with the Cardinal in college (28 TD, 15 INT). But he has the skillset to succeed. Likely set to receive a nice amount of playing time against Cleveland, we’re intrigued to see how he does.
Related: 2023 NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Tyrie Cleveland
A seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos back in 2020, Cleveland now has a real shot of making Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. The dude has opened eyes throughout the summer. He took that to a new level against the Ravens last week, catching 5-of-10 targets for 68 yards.
Cleveland is battling it out with a number of other receivers to break camp with Philadelphia. How he performs Thursday night could loom large in the decision-making process.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Cleveland Browns 24