Biggest Takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles' Preseason Week 1 Loss

Only one quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles' preseason is in the books, but plenty of takeaways and talking points can already be pulled from the first real live action of the 2017 campaign.

There are so many new faces and new roles heading into this season that the opening 60 minutes of true game time guaranteed to be telling, and that's just what Eagles fans found.

Unlike a lot of teams that sit important veterans for preseason Week 1, Philly rolled out all of its best players, aside from a few injured guys, for their 24-9 loss to the Packers in Green Bay. Even though Carson Wentz and crew only saw one offensive series, fans saw enough in that short sample size to be encouraged.

But when it comes down to it, preseason games are about identifying the difference-makers at deep positions and figuring out how to move forward with constructing a 53-man roster for the regular season. The Eagles were able to make some strides with some of those decisions, while others proved they may be even more difficult than anticipated.

Let's dive right in and draw some conclusions from what we saw in Thursday night's opening preseason game at Lambeau Field.

Carson Wentz's New Offense Looks Dangerous

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Even with new star receiver Alshon Jeffery sitting as a precaution, second-year quarterback Carson Wentz looked right at home with his new-look offense.

Wentz's only series on Thursday was a perfect one, as he finished 4-for-4 with 56 yards and a touchdown. Two of those went to now-departed wideout Jordan Matthews, but the real eye-popping throw came on a 38-yard touchdown to rookie Mack Hollins. 

New veteran rusher LeGarrette Blount didn't get much of an opportunity to bust one open, but he had two nice runs—including a nine-yard scamper—before poor blocking caused him to get swallowed up on two straight plays before Hollins' score. 

There was some rust up front from the offense, but not from Wentz, who escaped pressure on one key play before firing a completion downfield. Head coach Doug Pederson came off as impressed by his signal-caller, per the team's website:

"I thought (Wentz) did a nice job. He kept his eyes, his vision downfield. He was able to avoid the rush and step up and deliver some nice throws on the run. That just shows his athleticism and his strength in the pocket. It’s exciting to see."

Wentz's mobility and vision were two of his best skills shown as a rookie, and those will remain important parts of his game as his offense evolves around him. It's a quite small sample size, but fans should feel nothing other than encouraged by his 2017 debut.

Derek Barnett Might Be a Dominant Rookie

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The team's depth at defensive end allowed for rookie first-round pick Derek Barnett to get most of his opportunities against Green Bay's second-team offense. But the way he performed against them will force the coaches' hands at giving him some more reps with the starters.

Barnett was the best player on the field throughout the second quarter, in which Packers quarterback Brett Hundley got harassed constantly. The former Tennessee Volunteer bullied the left tackle for two sacks and hurried the quarterback twice more. 

The rookie hasn't jumped out with his training-camp performances, but that could be attributed to both going up against arguably the league's best bookend tackle combination and his attempts to develop his game by working on his weaknesses.

Thursday offered him a chance to show off his strengths, and they were serious enough to significantly impact the game.

The Eagles are fortunate to have a strong core of defensive ends, with Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry and perhaps Chris Long pushing Barnett down the depth chart at the moment. But the Eagles didn't make the 21-year-old their first-round pick to have him sitting fourth in the rotation.

More preseason performances like the one we saw Thursday, and Barnett should see the field as much as any end on the squad.

Mack Hollins Will Be a Difference-Maker

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Thursday's opener expected to be a game in which we'd say "Mack Hollins, welcome to the NFL." By the end of it, the thought was more like "NFL, welcome to Mack Hollins."

The promising third-round receiver had about as good a preseason debut as anyone could have imagined.

His first target went for a score, but not just any score. He broke off his crossing route beautifully, caught the ball in stride and spectacularly stiff-armed two Packers defenders, before taking it 38 yards to the house—against the first-team defense, no less.

Wentz called it a day after that play, but Hollins was just getting started. He finished with four catches on his five targets and went for 64 yards, looking every bit like a receiver who is going to push his way into a big part of the rotation throughout the season.

The Eagles have had so much trouble with young receivers in recent years that it would make sense to temper expectations on Hollins, but his preseason debut puts all of that to bed.

With Matthews gone, the 23-year-old has a great opportunity to continue thriving and perhaps stake his claim on the No. 3 receiver spot behind Jeffery and Torrey Smith. 

With a few more impressive preseason outings, he just might start the season there.

Temper Your Expectations for Donnel Pumphrey

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Despite what the last two takeaways suggest, not every Eagles rookie had a head-turning preseason debut.

Fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey also saw his first unofficial NFL action at Lambeau, and he had one of the most forgettable performances of any Eagles player on the night.

Philly made it a point to get him involved in the ground game, in pass-catching and even on punt returns, but he failed to make a good impression on any of the three.

Pumphrey had four carries and five catches, but he only netted a total of 17 yards even though most of his work came against second- and third-team opposition. The former San Diego State running back admitted to CSN Philly's Dave Zangaro that the increased speed of the NFL level is an adjustment he's struggling to make:

"That's one of those things where the game speed is completely different. In college, stuff like that, you can break those. In the NFL, you see guys, they stay square and they didn't fall for certain moves."

With Darren Sproles and plenty of receivers as better options for the offense, Pumphrey's best shot at being a difference-maker in 2017 may be on punt returns. He struggled there, too, fumbling one punt and nearly muffing another before his one solid return got called back for a holding penalty.

It's important not to overreact to a rookie's preseason opener, and the 22-year-old has the tools and skills to develop into the player Eagles fans hope for. But with Sproles still around and Pumphrey obviously needing some developmental work, we may not see much from the rookie in the near future.

Top Cornerbacks Looked Good but Not Good Enough

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Cornerbacks were perhaps the most watched unit on the Eagles in Thursday night's opener, and although they didn't have to face Aaron Rodgers or Jordy Nelson, they fared pretty well.

Philly kept Green Bay scoreless through the first quarter, thanks in part to strong outings from potential starters Patrick Robinson and Jalen Mills. Each had a nice pass break-up, and Robinson even recovered a fumble.

"We played all right. I definitely think we still have some things to work on," Robinson said, per Les Bowen of Philadelphia Daily News. "They pretty much did a lot of things that we expected them to do for the first preseason game, nothing too special."

As for what the coaches thought, look no further than Friday's trade news. The Eagles intelligently made a move to secure Bills cornerback Ronald Darby, flipping Jordan Matthews and a draft pick for his services, and Darby probably becomes the best active corner on the team immediately upon his services.

While the corners did well in limited action Thursday night, that wasn't enough to overlook a full training camp of struggles. Rookie Rasul Douglas isn't quite ready to be a starter, and fellow rookie Sidney Jones may not be fully back from his Achilles injury until 2018.

That makes the Darby acquisition a necessary one, and now it ups the ante for Robinson and Mills to show out throughout the remaining preseason games. Only one outside cornerback slot remains open, in all likelihood.

Eagles' Spectacular Special Teams Need Some Work

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Preseason is a time for experimentation, and that's even truer for special teams units. But the Eagles' coverage units in the punt game left plenty to be desired Thursday.

Special teams disappointment is partly why an otherwise solid Eagles performance ended in a 24-9 defeat. It alone resulted in a 10-point swing, as Philly let Packers punt-returner Trevor Davis get free on two occasions. One came on a 68-yard touchdown return in the second quarter, while he also added a 26-yard return in the third.

Those two plays were the most noticeable, but were far from the only shortcomings. As recently noted, Pumphrey struggled in fielding punts. Also, the usually reliable Caleb Sturgis missed a 46-yard field goal. 

Most teams having special teams issues wouldn't be overly surprising, but it comes as a shock to Eagles fans, who have seen their special teams unit become one of the league's best over the last several seasons.

Special teams coach Dave Fipp is arguably the best in the business, and he'll have plenty of issues to sort out with his respective units throughout the next week of practice.