K’Von Wallace, Davion Taylor, other Eagles draft picks still in 53-man roster jeopardy after Dolphins drubbing

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — K’Von Wallace had seen Tyreek Hill play in person just last season. He was on the field with the wide receiver known as “Cheetah” just four days earlier during a joint practice with the Dolphins. But the Eagles safety had never been tasked with having to cover Hill from the post on a deep route.

Until Saturday night.

Wallace saw him coming right at him after he beat cornerback Mac McCain off the line. He even got a head start. But Hill blew by him and there was little he could do.

“I’ve never seen someone that fast in my life,” Wallace said. “That’s a different type of speed. I gave myself a 5-yard head start and he still got by me. Kudos to him. God-given speed.”

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Hill’s 51-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage set the tone for what eventually became a 48-10 win for the Dolphins in the preseason finale. Few expected the Eagles’ second units to keep pace with Miami’s starters for the one quarter they played.

But a lopsided beginning had a domino effect on the remaining three quarters, and afterward it was difficult to find any positives in a game that is typically meant to evaluate the bottom of the roster.

“When you play like that, it’s not acceptable no matter who’s against who,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “But they did a nice job moving the ball and stopping us, but obviously that’s not up to our standards.”

Sirianni said he never considered playing his starters, even though Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel had told him early last week that he would play his. The Eagles have used joint practices mostly as preparation for the season, increasingly viewing the preseason as a gamble not worth taking.

But it was an ugly three hours of football that Sirianni — or anyone who watched — had to endure. Few bubble players made winning cases.

Reid Sinnett may have torpedoed the argument for keeping three quarterbacks with a dreadful outing. But there were also returning Eagles, like Wallace and linebacker Davion Taylor, who seemed to be playing their way off the roster the more they played.

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Wallace and Taylor might, ultimately, be locks. Only general manager Howie Roseman knows what he’ll do by Tuesday’s deadline. Having been midround picks from the 2020 draft, the Eagles have more vested in them than any of the undrafted rookies or waiver-wire pickups the team accumulated over the last year.

But neither has performed consistently enough in the summer to be assured spots. Wallace, a fourth-rounder, started slow in training camp, but had come on toward the end. Safety might also be the Eagles’ thinnest position with Marcus Epps and Anthony Harris as the starters.

Two bubble safeties — Andre Chachere and Josiah Scott — didn’t even get to play against Miami because of injuries. That meant Wallace and undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship had to carry most of the load. Jaquiski Tartt played a little, but the veteran never seemed to be in the Eagles’ plans.

“We did the best we know how to do,” Wallace said. “We had to put a corner [Mario Goodrich] back at safety.”

The Eagles had been swinging Chachere and Scott between safety and slot corner, which suggests they have greater plans for both. Or there’s the possibility they cancel each other out. But the final spot could also come down to Wallace or Blankenship, who might not be as fast but has a better nose for the ball.

Both finished with five tackles against Miami.

“This is not good enough,” said Wallace, who had bags of ice on three parts of his right arm as he spoke afterward. “Regardless of my stats, it wasn’t good enough.”

Taylor seemingly has regressed. A latecomer to football, the Eagles drafted him in the third round largely because of his speed. He took baby steps in his first two seasons and even provided one of the biggest moments of last season when he forced a game-changing fumble against the Broncos.

But injuries have marred both seasons, and this summer he still looks occasionally lost. He missed multiple tackles and assignments last week against the Browns. He was only marginally better vs. the Dolphins.

“All those guys in that linebacker room are competing for playing time to be starters and be on this team and that’s where he’s at,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said last week when asked to assess Taylor’s progress.

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But when Gannon pulled several defensive reserves in the first half, rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean was one and Taylor wasn’t. Sirianni said low numbers at the position forced Taylor and others to play longer than maybe they would normally.

Taylor’s stock, though, is clearly falling. The Eagles have starters T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, and Dean ahead of him. Shaun Bradley is more of a special teams guy than an off-ball linebacker. Taylor is still a top-five guy at the position by default, but Roseman can find other ways to upgrade.

Roseman, like most GMs, might overvalue his own draft picks. But there’s something to be said for giving prospects you initially believed in time to develop. Defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu probably should have been released last year, but he made the 53-man roster and made significant improvement in his first full offseason.

There have been late-round picks Roseman has parted with after only one or two seasons. A number can hang around on the practice squad for seasons. Most GMs aren’t going to give up on first-rounders after two seasons, no matter how much some fans might want 2020 top pick Jalen Reagor gone.

From this year’s class, outside linebacker Kyron Johnson and tight end Grant Calcaterra — both sixth-rounders — didn’t have the best of summers. Johnson is behind another Johnson — Patrick — at strong-side linebacker. But he has shown glimpses of progress to make it unlikely that Roseman will give up so soon.

Calcaterra, meanwhile, missed most of camp with a hamstring strain.

“Definitely a bummer,” Calcaterra said. “I felt like I was doing well in camp to start.”

But he returned full time last week, played in his first preseason game against the Dolphins, and caught two passes for 30 yards, including a 24-yarder.

“I thought he had a good week of practice. It was good to see him back on the field,” Sirianni said. “I’ll have to watch [the game]. He made a nice catch on that shallow and showed some acceleration.”

Like most “F” tight ends, Calcaterra will have to learn how to block, particularly in the run game. He had his struggles against Miami and had a holding penalty that negated a rushing touchdown.

“It’s definitely been challenging, but I feel with every rep I get I’m getting better,” Calcaterra said. “My coach specifically told me they know what I can do in the pass game. They obviously want to see me in the run game.”

Like most rookies — and many veterans — he has plenty of room for improvement.