Andy Dalton’s brutal preseason showing raises major questions about his future with the Eagles
The veteran quarterback had a weak performance, and general manager Howie Roseman has to consider if it makes sense to keep him around.
Andy Dalton’s time with the Philadelphia Eagles looks like it’s coming to an end. The 38-year-old quarterback finished three of 10 for 44 yards in the Eagles’ latest preseason game against the New England Patriots, missing wide-open receivers over the middle, sailing throws, and looking scared in the pocket despite solid protection. Dalton is out of the running for the backup quarterback job, and I would be surprised if he makes it through the next week or two with Philadelphia.
Look, I don’t want to just sit here and rag on Andy Dalton. He had his days. Those days are long gone. He just can’t hit the throws anymore, and he needs to go. Tanner McKee came in and looked okay, and Cole Payton will probably get a lot of reps and look decent too. But the writing is on the wall for Dalton. He needs to hang it up and retire.
Before we get to the rest of the stock down list, one guy who deserves a ton of credit from this game is offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. He called a fantastic game up in the booth, predominantly leaning on the run and letting it open up the pass. Even without the best quarterback play, the play-calling was sharp and effective. So all the overreactions from last week can now relax. This is what we’ve been waiting to see from the new-look Eagles’ offense, and Mannion delivered.
Johnny Wilson’s future doesn’t look promising
Johnny Wilson was waived by the Eagles. The former late-round draft pick dealt with a bad injury last year, cleared waivers, and has now reverted back to the injured reserve. It’s unfortunate because I feel like Wilson does have a lot of talent, especially with his size. But at this point, the future does not look promising for him in Philadelphia. Sometimes the timing and the health just don’t line up, and that seems to be the case here.
Kelee Ringo can’t get out of his own way
The other big stock-down guy is Kelee Ringo, and this one just infuriates me. Ty Robinson had a huge quarterback hit against Tommy DeVito, but it didn’t matter because Ringo was penalized for illegal contact once again.
Ringo has all the skills, the traits, and the attributes to be a great player. He gives you these little flashes that make you think he’s turning a corner, and then he comes back with the penalties. He just can’t stop committing them. He had a play in the first quarter where the ball hit him right in the face and he couldn’t intercept it. That should have been a pick-six.
I’ve kind of given up on Kelee Ringo at this point. Unless he carves out a role on special teams, this is probably the end of the ride for him in Philadelphia. And that’s a shame, because the physical tools are right there. But tools don’t matter if you can’t put it all together on the field, and Ringo has had chance after chance to figure it out. The Eagles don’t have time to wait around for a player who keeps hurting the team with undisciplined play. Simple as that.
