Eagles LB Uncertainty Remains After Preseason Loss to Ravens

Nicholas Morrow proved to be solid but the Philadelphia Eagles want more opposite Nakobe Dean at linebacker.

BALTIMORE - If you were looking for some clarity when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles and the linebacker position, the best a 20-19 preseason-opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens could provide was the status quo minus special teams stalwart Shaun Bradley, who was carted off with what looks like is a significant lower leg injury.

I appreciate everyone who reached out an kept me in their prayers…. Means alot… it sucks but we will be back better than ever i promise that. Cant hold me down forever💯🙏🏾❤️

— Shaun Bradley® (Sdot) (@Sdot_Bradley5) August 13, 2023

On the field, the best Eagles linebacker was veteran Nicholas Morrow, who started the game opposite Christian Elliss with second-year Mike starter Nakobe Dean scratched.

Dean's status was something that was part deference but more injury-related. The projected starter at the Mike position, Dean had just been cleared to return to practice from an ankle injury after missing four straight sessions of team drills on Thursday so Philadelphia was being very cautious with him.

In Baltimore, Morrow served as the equivalent of a professional hitter in baseball or perhaps a savvy bench player in the NBA, someone who knows how to play, a steady EKG so to speak who was active and confident in his abilities to run Sean Desai’s defense. He finished with four tackles and one for loss in 17 defensive snaps.

Moving forward, Morrow’s versatility should serve him well as the potential No. 3 linebacker because he can toggle between the Mike and Will positions as needed.

The problem is that the Eagles want more of a playmaking option next to Dean on a regular basis and that’s why veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham were brought in last week to push Morrow and Elliss.

Perhaps that was mission accomplished with Morrow against the Ravens but Elliss was underwhelming after more often than not outperforming Morrow in practice during the summer.

Neither Cunningham nor Jack hit the ground running either while undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren played the most (a team-high 41 snaps, tied with fellow rookies Sydney Brown and Mekhi Garner) and was as advertised, very athletic but very raw.

Cunningham got 26 reps, Jack 23, and Elliss 10, the latter with the de facto starters but he was caught up inside in the wash when Justice Hill broke off a 37-yard run that set up the first Ravens touchdown.

The two joint practices coming up against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns on Monday and Tuesday in advance of a Thursday night preseason game will likely be the defining moment for this competition.

And if no one steps forward don't rule out general manager Howie Roseman continuing to try to find other avenues to make the position better.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen