Preseason Week 2 Preview: Bills at Eagles

The second week of the preseason kicks off Thursday, continuing with the Buffalo Bills at the Philadelphia Eagles. Teams will be looking to see which players improve on their Week 1 performances and which players really grab hold of important roles. The PFF analysis team has all of the important battles and players to watch in this game:

Coverage by: Elliott Rooney

Position Battle: Ramon Humber/Gerald Hodges, WLB

Humber got the start against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday but he only played nine snaps on defense and failed to impress with an overall PFF game grade of 45.1. Hodges didn’t grade much better during the game with an overall PFF game grade 46.1, plus he did miss two tackles in his 31 snaps of action during the game.
It is in run defense where Hodges has the edge against Humber. Hodges had a run-defense grade of 83.1 in 2016, compared to Humber’s 67.9. Hodges produced 29 stops in run defense on 311 run snaps for a run-stop percentage of 9.3 (the percentage of a player's run-defense snaps in which he was responsible for a stop), this was the eighth-best mark by an NFC inside linebacker.

Players to Watch:

Eddie Yarbrough, Edge- Yarbrough was the highest-graded player for the Bills during the Vikings game Thursday. He finished with an overall PFF game grade of 86.3 on Thursday, the edge defender collected two total pressures including a sack and a QB hit on 24 pass-rushing snaps for a pass-rush productivity of 7.3 (PRP measures pressure created on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks). He also impressed in run defense Thursday, producing a run-stop percentage of 12.5, with one stop on eight run snaps.
Shareece Wright, CB – In a shock move Friday, the Bills traded starting CB Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles and also acquired E.J. Gaines from the Los Angeles Rams. This opens up a cornerback sport opposite Tre’Davious White for either of Gaines or Wright to take. Wright looked good against the Vikings, playing 31 snaps and earning an overall PFF game grade of 79.6, collecting two stops in coverage along the way.
Jonathan Williams, RB – Williams impressed in the first preseason game against the Vikings — despite rushing the ball only four times, he produced the second-highest breakaway percentage (the percentage of yards that come on runs of 15 or more yards) of any running back in the preseason so far. He had two runs of 15 or more yards and 32 of his 39 total rushing yards against the Vikings came on runs of 15 or more yards, for a breakaway percentage of 82.1.

Coverage by: Mike Alessandrini

Position Battle: Destiny Vaeao/Elijah Qualls/Gabe Wright/Justin Hamilton, DT

Fletcher Cox and Timmy Jernigan are locked in as starters, while Beau Allen is still recovering from a pectoral injury. Behind them, there are several players fighting for a roster spot.
Vaeao was part of Philadelphia’s interior rotation along the defensive line last season. The 2016 UDFA earned a 47.7 overall grade, totaling eight total pressures in 149 pass-rush snaps (4.4 pass-rush productivity).
Qualls, a sixth-round rookie, had a productive final season at Washington. The nose tackle accumulated four sacks, two QB hits, and 29 hurries on 324 rushes in 2016, while earning 3 run defense grade.
Wright was signed as a free agent in June after spending last season with the Browns. He earned a 78.0 overall grade, accumulating just three total pressures in 26 pass-rush snaps.

Players to Watch:

Bryce Treggs, WR – Fighting for a roster spot, Treggs had a strong preseason debut last week in Green Bay. The wide receiver caught seven passes on eight targets. Eagles quarterbacks had a 114.1 WR rating when targeting Treggs last week.
Steven Means, Edge – Means had an impact game last week against the Packers, receiving the PFF game ball. The edge rusher totaled nine pressures, which included two sacks and a forced fumble, earning a pass-rush productivity rate of 23.2.
Ronald Darby, CB – Darby will reportedly be making his Eagles debut against his old team. After a fantastic rookie season in 2015, the cornerback labored through a shaky sophomore season. Darby allowed 1.63 yards per coverage snap last year, sixth-most at his position.