The Philadelphia Eagles close the preseason on Friday night against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field, and the game is being treated as one more test before the roster decisions hit. Nick Sirianni called it another great evaluation tool, and the team will use it to sort through players competing for a place on the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
That is why the search for an Eagles Game now turns to who is actually going to play. The game is set for 8 p.m. on CBS and SportsRadio 94WIP, and the Eagles are also using it to stage the first game-night experience at Lincoln Financial Field, with the day-before routine, the hotel overnight and the day-of-game flow all part of the plan for the players who take part.
Sirianni said the staff grades everything it can get its hands on, from practices to live snaps, and that the three preseason games and the two joint practices have all been part of that review. He said there are always chances to get better, but the team’s aim now is simple: get one more clean look before Sunday at 6 p.m., when the Eagles must reduce the roster to 53 players.
Makai Lemon is the name to watch. He practiced all week after working back from a hamstring injury and could see his first preseason action, but it is not yet known whether he will actually play. That uncertainty matters because the Eagles are still weighing how to use a final exhibition snap for a player who has been ramping up, while also keeping an eye on quarterback work between Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee.
The stakes extend beyond Friday night. The Eagles are already watching the waiver wire and building toward a practice squad the next day, so what happens against the Bengals can still shape the roster long after the final whistle. A rookie also led the offense to a touchdown on a late-game drive at Baltimore, another reminder that the last preseason game is less about the score than about who looks ready when the real deadline arrives.
The regular season opens against Washington on September 13, so this final dress rehearsal is the last chance to answer a few lingering questions in live action. For Lemon, the question is immediate and personal. For the Eagles, it is whether Friday night gives them one more useful piece before the cuts come and the roster is trimmed to its final shape.
