MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Eagles wrapped up the 2022 preseason with a 48-10 loss to Miami on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium and attention turned afterward to A) Getting a good night’s sleep (actually, morning as the team was scheduled to land at 3 AM on Sunday) and B) Reducing the roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 PM deadline. It’s a nervous time for some of the players who returned to Philadelphia, and that’s understandable.
In the big picture, which is the focus here – because, frankly, there wasn’t a whole lot to report on during a night when the Dolphins played their starters for the first quarter against the Eagles’ second- and, at times, third-team players – is on a Training Camp/preseason during which Philadelphia achieved so many of the things it hoped to accomplish when it all started in late July.
1. The team returned home to Philadelphia as healthy as a team can be at this point in the late summer. There are no injuries that the Eagles anticipate will leak into the regular season, so with two weeks to go before the regular season opens in Detroit, it’s great to know that the Eagles are in fine shape. And that is no small thing. Dallas will be without starting left tackle Tyron Smith for most of the season and valuable receiver Michael Gallup won’t be around for at least a few weeks. Washington is without star defensive end Chase Young for at least the first four weeks of the season. New York has lost some depth at wide receiver. Heading into the next two weeks of practice, when the focus is on the Detroit Lions, as a healthy team means a lot.
2. An offense that came back in 2022 largely intact improved in many ways. Quarterback Jalen Hurts made significant strides in his recognition, his accuracy, his timing, and his overall play. Head Coach Nick Sirianni emphasized that during the week of joint practices against Miami. Wide receiver A.J. Brown made plays every day in practice and is going to be a force in this offense. The play of the backup offensive line, highlighted by second-round draft pick center Cam Jurgens, gives the Eagles enviable depth for the grind of a 17-game regular season. Tight end Dallas Goedert is bigger, faster, and stronger. He was a beast all summer. The running game led the NFL a season ago and is primed for more in 2022.
3. On the defensive side of the ball, hey, the additions made in the offseason are going to pay immediate dividends. Haason Reddick is a relentless, physical presence on the edge who is one…
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