Tanner McKee shines, Jihaad Campbell gets involved in the Eagles' preseason-opening win vs. Bengals

PHILADELPHIA — When August rolls around, Tanner McKee comes to life.

McKee, the Eagles’ 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford, continued to prove why he earned the backup quarterback role on Thursday night with yet another strong preseason performance. In the Eagles’ 34-27 preseason-opening win against the Cincinnati Bengals, McKee went 20 for 25 for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the first six possessions.

While Joe Burrow and the Bengals starters played for two series, including the opening drive, Jalen Hurts and the rest of the bona-fide Eagles starters were sidelined. A handful of Eagles players competing for first-string gigs, including Tyler Steen, Jahan Dotson, Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson and Sydney Brown, saw limited action.

Here’s our takeaways from the Eagles’ preseason opener at Lincoln Financial Field:

Campbell debuts

Eagles fans had to have a little bit of patience before witnessing Jihaad Campbell, the No. 31 overall pick out of Alabama, make his first appearance on the field.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon started the game at inside linebacker. But Campbell substituted for Mondon on the Bengals’ second possession. The rookie made an instant splash, combining for a tackle on running back Chase Brown on the first play of the drive.

It wasn’t all perfect for Campbell, though. He incurred an illegal use of hands penalty while attempting to tackle Brown again later on that second drive.

Campbell nearly nabbed his first interception early in the second quarter after quarterback Jake Browning’s pass over the middle for Isaiah Williams deflected off the receiver. As the ball soared into the air, Campbell attempted to make the diving catch, but it fell out of his hands after he hit the ground. As Campbell trotted to the sideline, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean and Jordan Mailata gave the rookie an earful. Campbell finished the night with three tackles.

Ringo, Jackson vs. Chase

It turns out that All-Pro Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase isn’t half bad, especially against preseason competition.

Chase played the first two drives of the game, posting four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. While Chase is certainly no slouch, Ringo and Jackson — the front-runners in contention for the starting job opposite Quinyon Mitchell — left something to be desired in their efforts to contain him.

Ringo, the 2023 fourth-rounder out of Georgia, was in coverage on two of Chase’s best catches of the night. The Bengals star scored a catch-and-run 36-yard touchdown with roughly two minutes remaining in the first quarter to go up 14-7, in part thanks to the 23-year-old cornerback’s missed tackle.

Chase also hauled in a 23-yard pass down the left sideline with Ringo in coverage on the Bengals’ opening drive of the game. His explosive play moved the Bengals into the red zone, setting up an eventual touchdown catch from tight end Tanner Hudson.

Jackson saw Chase less frequently. Still, on third-and-5 on the Bengals’ opening drive, Jackson got spun around on a Chase out route and conceded 12 yards. Ringo and Jackson exited the game after the Bengals’ third possession.

Receiver roulette

With A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dotson entering the 2025 season as the only roster locks at wide receiver, it’s an open competition to fill out the depth on the initial 53-man roster behind them.

There may not be many spots up for grabs. A trio of receivers are making things interesting with their performances on Thursday — second-year players Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith and 2025 undrafted free agent out of Tarleton State Darius Cooper each made impressive catches in key situations for the Eagles.

At 6-foot-6, 228 pounds, Wilson was the contested-catch maestro that the Eagles hoped he could become when they drafted him in 2024. On first-and-10 from the Eagles’ 10-yard line early in the second quarter, Wilson ran a slot fade and had a step on cornerback Jalen Davis. While Davis grabbed at Wilson, ultimately incurring a defensive pass interference penalty, Wilson leapt up to haul in McKee’s pass over Davis’ head for a 28-yard gain. Wilson finished the night with three catches for 73 yards, second most on the team.

His draft classmate, Ainias Smith, came up big in the red zone. On third-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Smith, in the slot, cut inside while tight end Kylen Granson ran a route to bump inside linebacker Barrett Carter out of the receiver’s way. Smith caught McKee’s pass to put the Eagles up, 17-14.

It was Cooper that arguably had the most eye-catching night, given his lack of draft pedigree. Despite his relatively small stature at 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, Cooper was a strong, reliable target all night long, finishing the game with a team-high six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

At the end of the first half with the Eagles in the high red zone, Cooper created separation from cornerback DJ Ivey with his release at the line of scrimmage. McKee placed the ball only where Cooper could get it in the corner of the end zone, out of the reach of Ivey underneath and safety Tycen Anderson over top.

Injury report

Wide receiver Elijah Cooks was carted indoors late in the first half. He appeared to injure his shoulder on a kickoff. Cooks, the 2023 undrafted free agent out of San Jose State who started his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, had flashed as a big-bodied, red-zone target to start training camp.

Kenyon Green was injured in the fourth quarter while attempting to make a tackle on linebacker Joe Giles-Harris after Kyle McCord threw an interception. He walked off the field clutching his right wrist. Green, the guard whom the Eagles acquired from the Houston Texans in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade, also rode the cart inside.