Getty Daeshon Hall, right, has three sacks this preseason and a ton of QB hurries.
The Eagles announced their inactives ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Redskins. There were two (kind of) question marks and now they have answers.
Brandon Brooks will start at right guard and Derek Barnett will start at defensive end. Both players are coming off major offseason surgeries and were limited in practice earlier this week after sitting out most of training camp. Brooks was recovering from an ACL tear while Barnett had a shoulder issue. Among the other Eagles’ inactive players are Nate Sudfeld, Nate Herbig, Jordan Mailata, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Shareef Miller, Matt Pryor and Daeshon Hall.
Hall’s status on the inactive list is a bit surprising, especially considering his rise to stardom in the preseason. The defensive end had four sacks and three forced fumbles in four preseason games and leaped over other edge rushers on the depth chart. However, he won’t be playing in Week 1. That means second-year man Josh Sweat will be the Eagles’ fourth edge rusher.
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Doug Pederson 3-0 in Season Openers
One amazing stat that got lost in the shuffle over the past few weeks has been Doug Pederson’s record in season openers. Since taking the reins in 2016, the head coach has gone 3-0 with wins over the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons. Perhaps prophetically, the Eagles beat the Redskins 30-17 to start the 2017 Super Bowl season
The Eagles are playing Washington this year in the opener, too. Pederson was asked to reflect on why he has enjoyed so much success in season openers and credited his preparation. Remember, the team motto is “Everything Matters.”
“I go back and look at my preparation, number one. How I prepare the football team, how we practiced that week, all kinds of things that lead up to that,” Pederson told reporters. “We just focus on the little things one more time and just pay attention to our details and what we do and not worry about necessarily the opponent that’s coming in here.
“We’re just trying to get better obviously,” Pederson continued. “So I try to keep it real simple that way for the guys and just let them play, have fun, and enjoy the atmosphere.”
#Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson wearing Nipsey Hussle cleats during pregame warmups. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
Mack Hollins Shows Up in Brent Celek Jersey
Mack Hollins had been the subject of some vitriol in the preseason. After dealing with a myriad of mysterious injuries and dropping a few passes in training camp, people were willing to move on. Guys like Greg Ward Jr. and Marken Michel showed glimpses in the preseason of being better receivers. The Eagles stuck with Hollins as their fifth wide receiver, though.
.@mackhollins knows how to make an entrance.
On Sunday, Hollins rolled into the stadium wearing a Brent Celek jersey, an ode to the retired fan-favorite tight end. Celek was a part of the Super-Bowl-winning team in 2017 and spent his entire NFL career in Philadelphia. Smart move.
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