The Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles tied Thursday evening to open up Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
In what was an ugly affair throughout, the matchup ended at 18 all. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start for the Browns, completely outplaying Eagles veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota in the process.
Young players stepped up big time on both sides, including Browns rookie third-round pick Cedric Tillman at wide receiver. Meanwhile, two scary injuries defined what we saw inside Lincoln Financial Field. Here is our recap of Thursday’s game with top performances, takeaways and key stats.
Top performances Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles game
There were several players who stood out during Thursday night’s game to open Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
Cedric Tillman, wide receiver, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s initial selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, this former Tennessee star has been turning heads in camp all summer. This continued with him catching 2-of-3 targets for 35 yards in the Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets.
But Thursday represented much better competition against some Eagles starters and other fellow early picks in the draft. Tillman did not disappoint:
That’s a tremendous job making an in-air adjustment while coming down with the ball in between two defenders. All said, Tillman caught 2-of-3 targets for 50 yards. Tillman has certainly made Cleveland rethink its wide receiver depth chart behind Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore heading into Week 1.
Related: Week 2 NFL preseason storylines
Nakobe Dean, linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
A third-round pick out of Georgia in the 2022 NFL Draft, Dean played sparingly on defense as a rookie. The linebacker recorded just 13 tackles in part-time action. The Eagles are hoping for a Year 2 jump from the youngster.
While Dean has looked solid in training camp, getting to see it firsthand in live-game action was the goal Thursday night. Boy, did he step up when the Eagles needed it the most. Just look at this takeaway with Cleveland driving about midway through the first quarter.
Dean is competing with veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham for a starting spot on an otherwise loaded Eagles defense. His performance on this one play, and in general, Thursday night leads us to believe that the youngster has the upper hand.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback, Cleveland Browns
A rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA, Thompson-Robinson got the surprise start Thursday night over veterans Joshua Dobbs and Kellen Mond. For good reason. The talented youngster completed 17-of-21 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns in two preseason games heading in.
Thompson-Robinson was a bit more erratic Thursday night against Philadelphia. He completed 13-of-25 passes for 164 yards while adding 18 yards on four rush attempts. But the young kid continued to show the arm talent that had some enamored with him heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
DTR also displayed solid pocket awareness and pre-snap recognition during his time on the field. It might not be enough for him to earn QB2 duties, but Thompson-Robinson will undoubtedly be on the Browns’ 53-man roster.
Related: 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year candidates
Nolan Smith, EDGE, Philadelphia Eagles
Last week saw fellow rookie first-round pick Jalen Carter show out in limited action. This time, it was yet another former Georgia star and rookie who made his mark. Smith continually put pressure on Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the first half, leading to at least one sack from his teammates.
Much like Carter, Smith has been showing out big time this summer. He’s shown brilliance in the pass-rush department. That continued with multiple eye-opening plays from the rookie Thursday night against Cleveland:
Not only does Philadelphia have a ton of proven veteran stars, but it also boasts some tremendous young talent. With Smith’s performance Thursday night before exiting due to what is likely a minor injury, that was put under a microscope.
Austin Watkins, wide receiver, Cleveland Browns
This former Alabama-Birmingham star has been showing out all summer for the Browns after being a journeyman throughout the first two-plus years of his professional career. This is what the preseason is all about. After all, Watkins had spent time on the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad while playing in both the Canadian Football League and USFL.
Watkins opened the preseason by catching two passes for 35 yards and a score against the New York Jets. He followed that up with six receptions for 71 yards last week. But what we saw from Watkins Thursday night was by far his best performance. The youngster hauled in seven passes for 139 yards, including an absurd 32-yard touchdown.
It might be hard for Cleveland to keep Watkins off its 53-man roster right now. If the Browns were to attempt to hide him on their practice squad, another team might take the bait. He’s been that good.
Related: 2023 NFL power rankings
Top takeaways from Thursday night
Here’s a look at some top takeaways from Thursday’s rare tie game.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback situation
Marcus Mariota was not good in starting for Jalen Hurts Thursday night. The veteran quarterback continually overthrew his receivers in an outing that saw him completed 9-of-17 passes for 86 yards, including an ugly interception.
For Mariota, this is a continuation of struggles we’ve seen with accuracy throughout training camp and the summer. The bad news for Philadelphia is that it handed him $5 million guaranteed during the offseason. Meanwhile, rookie sixth-round pick Tanner McKee played pretty well Thursday night despite some drops from his receivers. Mariota will be QB2 behind Hurts when the season starts, but it’s a tricky situation for the contending Eagles.
Anthony Schwartz on Cleveland Browns roster bubble
A third-round pick out of Auburn back in 2021, Schwartz came to the Browns with high expectations. He just has not panned out since, recording 14 receptions in 25 career games. The youngster entered training camp on the roster bubble.
As both Watkins and Tillman were showing out Thursday night, Schwartz didn’t do anything of substance. He caught just 4-of-10 targets for 33 yards. That’s an average of 3.3 per target. As of right now, we’d have to conclude Schwartz will be the odd man out in Cleveland.
Related: Full 2023 NFL schedule
Trey Sermon’s up-and-down performance
With D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell already locks to make the 53-man roster, Sermon is obviously on the bubble. The former San Francisco 49ers third-round pick got the bulk of the action last week, tallying a mere 21 yards on nine attempts.
With Sermon returning kicks and playing in the backfield Thursday night, he brought both the good and the bad. The bad first. Sermon lost a fumble in the second quarter. After going to the sideline, he was seen being given a talking to by Eagles running backs coach Jemal Singleton. It was not a pleasant conversation. Later in the game, Sermon atoned for himself with a brilliant 33-yard touchdown run.
This is the type of play that made Sermon a star at Ohio State. Unfortunately, we just have not seen too much of it during his NFL career (186 rushing yards in two seasons).
Multiple scary injuries
You don’t want to see what took place Thursday night in any game, let alone a meaningless preseason outing. A standout during training camp and the preseason, Eagles wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland was stretchered off the field after landing awkwardly on his neck. While Cleveland initially didn’t show any movement in his extremities, reports after the injury were much more positive.
Later in the second half, rookie seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo also had the stretcher brought out for him. The Texas product was also diagnosed with a neck injury. But did have movement as he was exiting the field. The NFL did well to decrease the preseason slate by one game. But these types of injuries will lead to more questions about preseason football.
Cleveland Browns stats from Thursday night
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 13-of-25 passing, 164 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
- Kellen Mond: 12-of-24 passing, 126 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
- Demetric Felton Jr.: 3 attempts, 21 yards, 2 receptions, 8 yards
- John Kelly: 8 attempts, 20 yards, 1 reception, 3 yards
- Austin Watkins Jr.: 4 receptions, 69 yards (6 targets)
- Cedric Tillman: 2 receptions, 50 yards
- Anthony Schwartz: 4 receptions, 33 yards
Philadelphia Eagles stats from Thursday night
- Marcus Mariota: 9-of-17 passing, 86 yards, 1 INT (3 sacks)
- Tanner McKee: 10-of-18 passing, 147 yards, 1 TD
- Trey Sermon: 5 attempts, 54 yards, 1 TD
- Rashaad Penny: 2 attempts, 18 yards
- Kennedy Brooks: 7 attempts, 26 yards
- Tyree Jackson: 2 receptions, 41 yards
- Greg Ward: 3 receptions, 29 yards