10 Eagles to watch vs. Browns in preseason game No. 2

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CLEVELAND — After two intense days of joint practices against the Browns this week, don’t expect to see many starters playing on Sunday afternoon.

But there are still plenty of reasons to watch.

The Eagles are getting closer to the NFL’s deadline to cut their roster down to 53 players and will have some tough decisions to make about the roster and then about the practice squad.

With that in mind, here are 10 Eagles to watch (in alphabetical order) against the Browns:

WR Devon Allen: The Olympic hurdler started to make some plays against the Browns this week on offense and on special teams. He’s still an extreme long shot to make the team but he’s beginning to look more comfortable. And after seeing him hurdle a downed Browns player on Thursday in celebration, I kinda want to see it again.

S Reed Blankenship: The UDFA from Middle Tennessee State has put himself firmly in the discussion for a roster spot. Some of that is a reflection of the depth at the safety position, but Blankenship has made plays. And the more plays he’s made the more reps he’s gotten with the second-team and even first-team defense.

TE Grant Calcaterra: After missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury, Calcaterra returned to practice in a limited fashion on Friday. There’s a decent chance the Eagles hold the sixth-round pick out of this game, but it would really help his cause to play and look good.

RB Kenny Gainwell: The second-year running back hasn’t had a particularly strong camp. He has way too many drops and was reamed out by Nick Sirianni during practice on Friday. With Miles Sanders on the shelf, Gainwell has had an opportunity to get some high-leverage snaps in practice and hasn’t done much with them. Maybe a game can change that.

DE Tarron Jackson: Before training camp, Jackson was an afterthought among the edge rushing group. But in his second year, Jackson has been a menace all summer. And against the Browns in joint practices spent most of his afternoons in their backfield. He already has a roster spot locked up but I want to see more.

CB Josh Jobe: The UDFA from Alabama has risen to the top among the group of young corners fighting for roster spots. He’s even passed guys like Tay Gowan and Kary Vincent Jr., who were with the team in 2021. Jobe has a very good shot to make the roster and a couple plays in the remaining two preseason games could solidify that.

LB Patrick Johnson: Like Jackson, Johnson is another late-round pick in his second season who has been shining for most of the summer. Johnson has been having a tremendous training camp and has earned the role as the backup SAM linebacker behind Haason Reddick.

QB Carson Strong: The UDFA from Nevada hasn’t gotten many practice reps this summer and didn’t play a single snap in the first preseason game. To be fair, he hasn’t looked good even when he’s gotten practice reps. But let’s see him in game action. There’s no question he has talent.

S Jaquiski Tartt: The veteran from San Francisco didn’t play in the last game. He was still away for personal reasons. Now that he’s back, he really needs to pick it up if he’s going to make the roster. Sure he has a resume in the NFL. But on merit, he would probably be cut right now.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu: Like Johnson and Jackson, here’s a third second-year guy who has been thriving this summer. Coming into camp, I thought Tuipulotu was firmly on the bubble but he’s gotten a ton of first-team reps and has really improved from Year 1 to 2.

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