The next game counts.

The Eagles wrapped up their preseason on Friday night with a 30-13 loss to the Bengals. The next game at the Linc will be the season opener against the Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 13.

After this game, the Eagles have until 6 p.m. on Sunday to get their roster down to 53 players.

Here’s the final stock up, stock down of the preseason:

Stock up

RB Carson Steele: This kid is fun to watch. He didn’t hurdle anyone on Friday night but he has been one of the Eagles’ best offensive players in this preseason. He continues to be a great receiving threat out of the backfield. He had 24 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards and a touchdown.

QB Andy Dalton: Dalton didn’t really throw down the field but he had a much better day than Tanner McKee. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 95.1

LB Smael Mondon Jr.: Mondon got the start and made a great play in the first quarter to sniff out a screen pass and get a 6-yard tackle for loss. Mondon is behind the starters and Jeremiah Trotter Jr., but he seemingly has the roster made. 

RB Dameon Pierce: It’s a shame Pierce missed time in training camp with an injury because he runs really hard. At one point in the first quarter, he carried a few Bengals defenders for a 16-yard gain. He ended up with 4 carries for 44 yards.

OLB Keyshawn James-Newby: The seventh-round pick missed a lot of training camp with an ankle injury but had a good preseason debut. He chased down veteran Josh Johnson for a sack, had another pressure, was credited with a forced fumble that the Eagles recovered and drew a holding penalty.

DB Kapena Gushiken: The UDFA who earned the nickname “Gush” from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had some strong moments in this game. He is a heat-seeking missile on special teams and made some great plays. He also got reps at safety and nickel corner in this game. He gave up a touchdown in the third quarter but his special teams ability was on display.

K Jake Elliott: The conditions on Friday night were nice but Elliott made field goals from 45 and 56 yards. Elliott is just 5 for 15 from 50+ yards over the last two seasons so it was nice to see him make a long one.

LB Deontae Lawson: The UDFA from Alabama had another nice game on defense and special teams with a forced fumble in the fourth quarter, although it didn’t count. In plenty of other years, he would easily make the roster but the Eagles are deep at that position this year.

S Andre’ Sam: The defense back made some nice plays in coverage early in this game and came up with fumble recoveries on defense and special teams and forced a fumble on defense. Unfortunately, Sam suffered an injury late in the third quarter.

WR Darius Cooper: This time last year, Cooper was fighting for his spot as a UDFA from Tarleton State. So it’s gotta feel pretty cool that he didn’t even need to play in this game. That appears to be a sign that he has this team made. Cooper had a really strong training camp.

OL Willie Lampkin: Lampkin has been dealing with a stinger, so perhaps his absence in this game was injury related. But it’s also possible that Lampkin has already secured his roster spot after a fantastic summer.

Stock down

WR Makai Lemon: The good news is that Lemon was able to play in his first NFL preseason game. The bad news is that he wasn’t very productive (he had 3 catches on 5 targets for 3 yards) and dropped a pass that led to an interception in the second quarter. It wasn’t a perfect pass from Tanner McKee, but it’s one Lemon needs to catch. 

Lemon also muffed an ugly bouncing punt in the second half but maintained possession. Lemon struggled to gain separation in this game but that’s not exactly the strongest part of his game. When he’s out there with the starting offense, he’ll probably be able to find soft spots in the defense.

QB Tanner McKee: For a guy fighting to be this team’s backup quarterback, it just wasn’t a very strong performance for McKee. Sure, the interception wasn’t all his fault but he struggled to get much going in the first half. He completed just 12 of 22 passes for 55 yards and an interception for a passer rating of 41.1.

CB Mac McWilliams: The second-year cornerback gave up a few too many passes in this game after an uneven training camp. On one completion, he allowed the receiver to pick up a first down before the tackle. He’s firmly on the bubble.

OT Cameron Williams: The 2025 sixth-round pick gave up a couple quick pressures in this game working as a right tackle.

TE E.J. Jenkins: The Eagles’ offense really struggled to get going early and Jenkins had a bad drop in the first quarter. Tanner McKee hit Jenkins in the hands, but he turned upfield before securing the catch.

CB Ambry Thomas: It has been a rough preseason for the former 49ers third-round pick. He gave up a couple of chunk passes again in this game and was called for a DPI on 4th down to give the Bengals a first down.

WR Elijah Moore: While Darius Cooper got the night off, Moore had to play. That’s a sign that his spot is not secure. Moore is a veteran and had a good training camp but sometimes that’s not enough to make the 53-man roster.