Eagles Week One Stock Report: Who’s Rising and Who’s Falling?

The Eagles narrowly secured a victory against the Packers in the NFL’s first-ever game in São Paulo, Brazil. Corinthians Arena, home to Brazil’s soccer club, did not provide safe or adequate playing conditions. In large part, this was due to the grass not being prepared for NFL players’ cleats, feet positioning, and cuts on the field. On Saquon Barkley’s first carry, he slipped untouched, losing pivotal yardage on the Eagles’ first drive. As the game continued on, players on both sides slipped many times, notably Packers quarterback Jordan Love and a few wide receivers trying to make precision moves in their routes. All in all, Eagles fans are happy this morning, beginning the year 1-0. Let’s take a look at who’s stock is rising, and whose stock is falling going into Week Two. 

Stock Up: Saquon Barkley

The Saquon Barkley dream in Philadelphia was never more alive than in Week One, finishing with 132 total yards and three touchdowns. Although the season is just beginning and the offense was stagnant at times, it is clear that Barkley will flourish in this scheme. Barkley offers an arsenal of a skillset the Eagles have not had before, showcasing his elusiveness, speed, and effectiveness as a pass-catcher. In the games to come, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should be more willing to have Saquon taking carries in the I-Formation, to get him running downhill immediately. As long as health prevails, Barkley looks to be in the early stages of a career year in Philadelphia. 

Stock Down: Jalen Hurts

For Jalen Hurts, this game can be fairly compared to his first reps of the season, considering he had zero snaps during the preseason. By Jalen’s standards, he looked extremely rusty and made poor decisions at times during the game. The most questionable one came during the first quarter in his triple coverage throw intercepted by Xavier McKinney. In some plays, Jalen had more than enough time in the pocket, over five seconds in some cases, and could not manage to find a receiver. Hurts’ needs to be more agile in the pocket, focusing on moving up and between the tackles rather than scrambling behind or out of the pocket. One factor out of Jalen’s control that needs to be addressed is the play calling. In a drive during the second quarter, the Eagles ran a QB blast on third and long that provided no gain. The Eagles have too many weapons at their disposal to be running the franchise quarterback on plays he is certain to get hit. Hurts is effective with his feet, but unless he is picking up yards from scrambling, there is no need for him to be in the middle of the field putting himself at risk. Jalen will surely bounce back in the weeks to come, but there is fair judgment to say he did not have his best outing in Week One. 

Stock Up: Quinyon Mitchell

If Quinyon Mitchell can replicate his performance last night throughout the season, he will have a phenomenal rookie year. Jordan Love wasted no time targeting Mitchell, throwing a pass to the end-zone intended for wide receiver Christian Watson, broken up by Mitchell. Quinyon played a majority of snaps on the outside throughout the game, an area the Eagles could certainly use reliability on. Mitchell, standing at six foot and 196 lbs, has an ideal frame to compete with all receivers outside the numbers. Quinyon had multiple deflections, and pass break-ups, and looked comfortable in the defense. As the season continues, it will be exciting to watch Quinyon’s development. 

Stock Down: C.J. Gardner Johnson

Along with Jalen Hurts, there is great expectation that C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s stock will not stay down for long. His arrival back in Philadelphia was welcomed by the entire city, and many are excited to watch him in Lincoln Financial Field in Week Two. Regarding C.J.’s performance last night, there were more plays than usual that he whiffed on, especially in open-field tackling. We saw wide receiver Jaylen Reed break free for a 70-yard touchdown, due to a missed assignment on Gardner-Johnson, paired with a poor angle on Reed’s catch outside the numbers. C.J.’s personality and leadership are sure to pick his performance up as the season continues, but last night seemed to be a mix of rust and learning a new scheme. C.J. is sure to bounce back strong, but Week One is sure to be looked at in Gardner-Johnson’s film sessions this upcoming week.