Kenny Gainwell Tops my List of Five Predictions for Eagles-Browns Preseason Game

It's been a struggle for the RB and a good outing might quiet, at least temporarily, talk about possibly acquiring Kareem Hunt

BEREA, Ohio – Kevin Stefanski said none of his starters will play against the Eagles, reserving playing time, the Cleveland Browns coach said, “for a lot of guys who are fighting for their football lives.”

Expect Nick Sirianni to take a similar approach for the Eagles when the two teams tee it up inside FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m).

The Eagles and Browns both had two solid days of practices against one another leading up to the second of three exhibition games this summer.

Someone who isn’t fighting for his football life is Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, though he could very well play maybe a series or more before yielding to the Browns’ third QB on the roster, Josh Dobbs, and maybe the fourth one, Josh Rosen.

What’s ahead for the Eagles after Sunday’s game?

After taking Monday off, the Eagles will fly south to Miami to practice against the Dolphins on Wednesday and Thursday then conclude the exhibition season with a game on Saturday against them (7 p.m.).

Also, every team must trim five more players from their roster, taking it from 85 to 80, by Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, here are five predictions for the game:

Kenny Gainwell will play. It’s been a struggle this summer for the second-year running back who missed a few days with a hip injury. Since returning last week, he has dropped five passes, including at least two in work vs. the Browns. He even drew the ire of Sirianni in one two-minute drill.

The coach did, however, praise Gainwell for his ability to pass protect and pick up certain blitzes the Browns through at the Eagles during Thursday’s practice.

Still, a solid couple series' from the Memphis product, with a handful of targets, would be beneficial for all parties, and maybe quiet, at least temporarily, the urgency that seems to be rising for the Eagles to make a trade for someone like Cleveland’s Kareem Hunt.

Both Patrick Johnson and Tarron Jackson will each record a sack. The Eagles did not have one last week, after Kobe Smith’s sack was taken away. Smith tagged New York Jets QB Mike White behind the line. It was originally called a sack but did not show up as such on the stat sheet.

Johnson and Jackson have been playing well and will be key, contributing reserves on this team.

Two UDFAs will shine. Reed Blankenship earned some praise from DC Jonathan Gannon about the Middle Tennessee State’s versatility, with the ability to play both post and box safety. He led the team in tackles vs. the Jets with seven, and expect him to be at the top of the tackle list again on Sunday.

Meanwhile, cornerback Josh Jobe could further solidify a spot on the roster with a strong game. He tied for second on the team with five tackles along with rookie LB Nakobe Dean last week. The undrafted free agent from Alabama has already showed up as a member of the kickoff team.

One of them - Blankenship, Jobe, or Dean - will make an interception on Sunday.

Nakobe Dean will continue to impress. The rookie linebacker made some nice plays against the Jets, but these preseason games are important for him because there may not be a lot of snaps waiting for him once the regular season begins. Gannon did, however, hint that there may be a linebacker rotation once the games start to count, which would bode well for Dean.

Carson Strong will get some reps. For some reason, the former Nevada star is a popular figure on Twitter, with many wondering why he didn’t get any time against the Jets. Head coach Nick Sirianni said simply it just didn’t work out that way.

It certainly wasn’t a good sign that the fourth-string QB only got one team rep that I saw in two practices against the Browns, but this feels like the time to let him get used to a little live-action.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.