By: Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When the Eagles take the field on Thursday for the preseason opener, you may need to have the roster handy. There are many new faces, particularly on defense and on the lower end of the depth chart.
That said, there is still an excitement in the air for the start of football, even if expectations aren't so sky high for the Birds.
The first opponent: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as Lincoln Financial Field plays host to the preseason opener on Thursday night. Kickoff between the Eagles and Buccaneers is at 7 p.m.
Quarterbacks
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) | Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) |
| 3 Jameis Winston | 7 Sam Bradford |
| 2015 Stats: 4,042 YD, 22 TD, 15 INT | 2015 Stats: 3,725 YD, 19 TD, 14 INT |
Sam Bradford is back in the starting role for the Eagles and while the playing time he gets in the first preseason game is pending, it will be interesting to see what Bradford looks like running yet another new system, something all too familiar to the veteran quarterback.
If there's any quarterback in the league that understands expectations and what 2016 Draft picks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are going through, it's Jameis Winston. The second-year quarterback for the Buccaneers is out to continue a solid start to his career, which included a career day against the Eagles.
Running Backs
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) | Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) |
| 22 Doug Martin | 24 Ryan Mathews |
| 2015 Stats: 288 Att, 1,402 YD, 6 TD | 2015 Stats: 106 Att, 539 YD, 6 TD |
Last year, Ryan Mathews was the No. 2. This year, he's the leading guy at running back. Health has been a question mark already in camp for Mathews, a pattern that has followed his entire career, and Mathews needs to prove early that he is not only capable of leading the running game but durable enough to be the go-to guy on the ground.
Doug Martin has emerged as one of the NFL's most talented running backs. With a rising quarterback and two sure-handed receivers, Martin balances out one of the NFL's up-and-coming offenses.
Wide Receivers
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) | Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) | ||
| 13 Mike Evans | 2015 Stats: 74 Rec, 1,206 YD, 3 TD | 17 Nelson Agholor | 2015 Stats: 23 Rec, 283 YD, 1 TD |
| 83 Vincent Jackson | 2015 Stats: 33 Rec, 543 YD, 3 TD | 82 Rueben Randle | 2015 Stats: 57 Rec, 797 YD, 8 TD |
For Nelson Agholor, the 2016 season is about rising to the challenge of putting a disappointing rookie campaign in the distant memory. For Rueben Randle, this is his first chance to prove he can be a key element to the Eagles offense in 2016.
Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson make up one of the better wide receiver duos in the NFL, giving Jameis Winston plenty of options on offense.
Defense
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) | Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) | ||
| 93 Gerald McCoy | 2015 Stats: 8.5 Sacks, 34 Tackles | 91 Fletcher Cox | 2015 Stats: 71 Tackles, 9.5 Sacks |
| 54 Lavonte David | 2015 Stats: 147 Tackles, 3 INT | 58 Jordan Hicks | 2015 Stats: 50 Tackles, 2 INT |
| 24 Brent Grimes | 2015 Stats: 42 Tackles, 4 INT | 21 Leodis McKelvin | 2015 Stats: 25 Tackles, 2 INT |
Fletcher Cox is coming off a monster year. Jordan Hicks emerged as a young leader before suffering a season-ending injury. Leodis McKelvin has been a strong player in camp as one of the newcomers to the secondary.
The Buccaneers defense has holes, but the addition of Grimes along with McCoy and David returning are good cornerstone players for key positions.
Player to Watch
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) | Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) |
| 13 Mike Evans | 11 Carson Wentz |
| 2015 Stats: 74 Rec, 1,206 YD, 3 TD | 2015 Stats: 1,651 YD, 17 TD, 4 INT |
Is there really any question on this? Everyone wants to see what Wentz can do. This is a chance for the Eagles to let him loose and show his raw talent.
Evans can dazzle with the best receivers. He's always one to watch whenever the Buccaneers offense takes the field.
Injury Report
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) |
Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) |
||||
|
G J.R. Sweezy |
Undisclosed |
Out |
S Malcolm Jenkins |
Hamstring |
Out |
|
WR Louis Murphy |
Knee |
Out |
WR Marcus Johnson |
Quad |
Out |
|
OT Caleb Benenoch |
Ankle |
Questionable |
OT Jason Peters |
Quad |
Out |
|
LB Cassanova McKinzy |
Hamstring |
Questionable |
WR Jordan Matthews |
Knee |
Out |
| WR Vincent Jackson | Undisclosed | Probable |
CB JaCorey Shepherd |
Knee |
Out |
| G Ali Marpet | Undisclosed | Probable |
RB Wendell Smallwood |
Quad |
Out |
| CB Josh Robinson | Undisclosed | Probable |
DE Marcus Smith |
Concussion |
Out |
| TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Hip | Probable |
LB Mychal Kendricks |
Hamstring | Out |
| RB Charles Sims | Ankle | Probable |
DT Mike Martin |
Knee | Out |
| S Major Wright | Undisclosed | Probable |
WR Hunter Sharp |
Undisclosed | Out |
Game Notes
- The Eagles have won five straight preseason games at home.
- Eagles LB Najee Goode and DE Steven Means were both originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Goode went in the fifth round in 2012 and Means went in the fifth round in 2013.
- This is only the second preseason meeting between the Eagles and Buccaneers. Tampa Bay won the only other meeting, 35-7, in Tampa Bay on Aug. 14, 1982.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN (Scott Graham, Mike Mayock, Dave Spadaro)
Radio: 94 Sportsradio WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
