Eagles-Browns report card: Tanner McKee scores well again, yet few excel

Grading the Eagles’ performance in their 18-18 tie with the Cleveland Browns:

» READ MORE: Marcus Mariota struggles, Eagles suffer several injuries in 18-18 tie with the Browns

Is it time to start thinking about another backup? Could the Eagles possibly have the answer already on the roster? Marcus Mariota has proven his worth as a quarterback who can win NFL games, but Thursday he delivered another dud in the preseason. Overthrown passes have been an issue since the start of camp and he had several against the Browns, the most costly resulting in an interception. Tanner McKee picked up from where he left off last week at the Baltimore Ravens, completing a variety of downfield throws and leading the Eagles back to the tie. The rookie completed 10 of 18 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. He would have had two touchdown tosses if not for a drop.

» READ MORE: Do the Eagles have a No. 2 quarterback problem with Marcus Mariota or is the answer Tanner McKee?

D’Andre Swift was the only running back to get the night off and justifiably so. He’s had the best camp of the group. Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott got some snaps a week after resting, but neither got many chances. Rashaad Penny had the best rush of the first half, gaining 16 yards up the middle. Trey Sermon’s long odds of making the roster were dealt a blow by a fumble on a screen pass. But he rebounded in the second half with some nice runs, including a 33-yard touchdown scoot.

» READ MORE: Trey Sermon took Jalen Hurts’ advice to heart and responded with a touchdown

Mariota’s and the offense’s overall effectiveness before the break affected the passing game. Olamide Zaccheaus revved his engine for a 17-yard catch before he left early with a shoulder injury. The rest of the receiver group was mostly unspectacular — until McKee took over. Joseph Ngata caught three passes for 39 yards, but he was also flagged for pass interference. Deon Cain dropped a couple of passes, including a would-be touchdown. Tyree Jackson had the longest reception — 35 yards — of the tight ends.

Mariota was sacked three times before the break, but blame could be attributed to both the line and the quarterback for holding the ball too long. Right guard Josh Sills was late with his block on the Gainwell rush that resulted in a Browns safety. Starting tackles Jack Driscoll and Tyler Steen held up in pass protection, but they combined for three false start penalties. The third unit held up — for the most part — for McKee.

Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis got the start, but neither stood out in limited playing time. Nolan Smith did. The rookie edge rusher got a hand on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson with a strong outside rush and forced him to step up into an eventual sack. Derek Barnett drew an early holding penalty. Defensive end Janarius Robinson was the most active of the reserve edge rushers. Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was disruptive again before leaving on a stretcher with a neck injury.

Nakobe Dean was late to the party on a couple of occasions, once taking an unnecessary penalty when he hit the sliding Thompson-Robinson. But the middle linebacker, who missed the preseason opener after returning from an ankle injury, made the defensive splash play of the game. Dean forced a fumble when the Browns had first and goal at the 1-yard line. Zach Cunningham, Christian Elliss, Nicholas Morrow, and Myles Jack, meanwhile, continued to duke it out for the other starting linebacker spot. Each had their ups and downs, but Cunningham tied for the team lead with seven tackles.

» READ MORE: ‘That’s why we drafted him’: Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean makes his mark in preseason debut

The Browns threw at Zech McPhearson on the outside early with mixed results. The cornerback suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and needed to be carted off the field. Josh Jobe, his starting counterpart, had tight coverage and appeared to be part of the reason why McPhearson was targeted. Kelee Ringo had a rough two-play stretch — losing the ball on a 27-yard completion even though he had solid coverage and then missing a tackle on a run. The rookie did settle down. Undrafted rookie Eli Ricks lacked ball awareness on a 36-yard pass.

K’Von Wallace and Terrell Edmunds split the start and kept the middle of the field relatively clean. Wallace played into the fourth quarter. Sydney Brown was inserted earlier into the lineup than he was a week ago. The rookie wasn’t around the ball as much as he was in Baltimore, but had a nice run stop on one of his first tackle attempts.

Rookie punter Ty Zentner didn’t make a strong argument for supplanting incumbent Arryn Siposs. He averaged just 39.8 net yards on five punts. Zaccheaus and McPhearson handled punt returns ably before their injuries. Sermon didn’t do much as a kick returner. Jake Elliott crushed a 56-yard field goal.

» READ MORE: Eagles 53-man roster projection 2.0: Motion at linebacker and a familiar addition at wide receiver

The Eagles offense was wretched in the first half. The play-calling wasn’t necessarily poor — aside from maybe the obvious run up the middle that led to a safety — but three points in 30 minutes is never good. Sean Desai’s defense held the Browns under 20 points, though, and McKee changed Nick Sirianni’s unit’s mojo in the second half. The Eagles suffered an inordinate number of potentially serious injuries with six players leaving early and three having to be carted off the field. Sirianni’s decision to rest quarterback Jalen Hurts and most of his key starters remained the right one.