August 28, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Uar Bernard (pictured) and Joshua Weru will have one last opportunity to play in a game before they fade into the background during the regular season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are playing their third and final preseason game Friday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. For some insane reason kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST. Here are our 10 Eagles players to watch.
• WR Makai Lemon: Lemon did not play in the first two preseason games while rehabbing a hamstring injury. We have Lemon as the team's WR3 heading into the season, and starters normally never play in the final preseason game, but he'll likely play just to get his feet wet in some real game action before the start of the NFL season.
I imagine that Lemon will be force-fed a few targets, and then they'll get him out of there. But it will be the fans' first opportunity to see the Birds' 2026 first-round pick.
• iDL Uar Bernard and EDGE Joshua Weru: In the Patriots game, Weru dusted a Pats OT with a highly athletic Eurostep move, and Bernard made a couple of nice run stops. I have both Eagles "exchange dudes" on the initial 53-man roster after they proved throughout camp and in the preseason games that they have enticing traits that are worth developing over time.
They'll get one last chance to play in an NFL game this season before they're buried on the depth chart during the regular season.
• EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby: James-Newby, a seventh-round rookie, missed all or at least part of 11 practices and both preseason games with an ankle injury. However, he was a full participant on Wednesday, and I thought he showed some legitimate juice off the edge. If he crushes it in the final preseason game, he can sneak onto the roster at the buzzer.
I'm curious to get a closer look at him both on the edge and on special teams.
• WR Elijah Moore and CB Jonathan Jones: Moore and Jones are both veteran players who are worthy of being on an NFL roster. I just don't know what to do with them as I construct my final 53-man roster projection.
Moore had a solid camp, but there are probably five receivers ahead of him in the pecking order in DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown, and Darius Cooper. Can the Eagles keep a sixth wide receiver? Does Moore possess a standout trait that the others don't? Tough call.
Jones was clearly on a path to making the roster, but he missed eight practices and both preseason games with a shoulder injury. He did return to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday, so there's a chance that he could play in this game. Again, tough call on whether he'll be on the initial 53.
• DB Kapena Gushiken and S Maximus Pulley: Gushiken and Pulley are a pair of undrafted rookie defensive backs who have shown a little something throughout camp and the preseason games. They are both vying for roster spots. "They're still alive," Vic Fangio said of both players on Wednesday. "This game will mean something to them."
• K Jake Elliott and LS Rocco Underwood: The Eagles have kicked four PATs this preseason, but we haven't yet seen the kicking operation attempt a more difficult field goal yet. With Elliott coming off two down seasons and Underwood trying to make the team as an undrafted rookie long snapper, I'd like to see one or two FG tries before the start of the season.
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