This is the way the 2025 preseason opened for wide receiver Darius Cooper: 6 catches, 82 yards, and a touchdown. Undrafted from Tarleton State, Cooper opened eyes early in the summer, continued to make progress, and suddenly was a "player to watch" in his rookie preseason. He ended up winning a spot on the 53-man roster and staying there all year.

When it was time to step up in the preseason, Cooper delivered. And his production paid off. That's the value of the preseason games, a series of three show-me games for the majority of the men on the 90-man roster.

"Just staying focused and taking advantage of my opportunities," said Cooper, who caught 9 passes for 92 yards last year in the regular season. "I'm being where my feet are. Last year is in the past and I'm just looking forward to taking it every day at a time, but definitely grateful, definitely blessed on my career so far. So I'm definitely excited for it."

Welcome to the preseason, where everything matters for those who are on the football field. A 90-man roster gets cut to 53 players by Sunday, August 30 at 6 PM. Between now and then, there are three preseason games and for the Eagles, Saturday night in Baltimore (8 PM, NBC10/Eagles app in Philadelphia, SportsRadio 94WIP) is ultra-important.

For the first time this year, the Eagles will play a team in a different jersey. Three weeks of Training Camp give way to a 60-minute football game that doesn't count in the standings but is still a valuable opportunity for the players and coaches.

"Preseason games are what gave me a chance in this league," offensive tackle Fred Johnson said. "I was signed by Pittsburgh (as an undrafted free agent) and played in the preseason and made the team, made the roster. Without the preseason games, I wouldn't have had a chance to show what I could do in a game situation."

It is difficult to narrow down What To Watch in Saturday's game, but here are a few storylines to follow in this opener at M&T Bank Stadium ...

1. Sorting out the offensive line depth

The starters appear to be established – Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, and Lane Johnson from left to right. Behind them, the Eagles have Johnson, an experienced swing tackle, and then some young, promising players.

One of those players is Willie Lampkin, who has gained quite a bit of attention in the practices. He is on the smaller side as far as offensive linemen go – he is listed at 5-11, 290 pounds – but Lampkin has a wrestling background and has used his leverage as an advantage. Claimed off of waivers from the Rams last season, Lampkin has been a story this summer having been here through the spring.

"It's definitely a better advantage. Last season when I came in, I was injured, so that was a little tough for me, but now it feels like a new beginning," he said. "I'm having a great time learning the playbook, learning from Landon, learning from Jordan, Lane, Coach Coop (Chris Kuper).

"They've been teaching me a lot, and I'm just blessed."

No word on whether any starters will play – the Eagles have joint practices the following week before Preseason Game 2 in New England – but this is a great chance for roster hopefuls like Lampkin to make the big push.

2. Finding the right mix at the skill spots

Who makes the roster in the offensive backfield? At tight end? Wide receiver? The competition has been what the Eagles hoped for this summer, but now the sorting generally begins. The Ravens will tackle. That makes a world of difference, so we are going to see if the impressive wide receiver group – Elijah Moore, Hollywood Brown, and Cooper have been productive all summer – takes the next step forward. There are seven tight ends in Training Camp, and obviously the Eagles can't keep that many in the regular season.

3. There are four quarterbacks here. What does that mean?

Do the Eagles keep four on the 53? Do they have an open competition going? How is rookie Cole Payton going to respond in a live setting? Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee have taken a lot of reps in practice and now will have a chance to operate the new-look offense in this environment. Baltimore has a defense that likes to bring pressure, so that's a great test for the offense in general and the quarterbacks in particular being on the same page with the receiving corps.

4. A big one for the special teams

Coordinator Michael Clay and his special teams coaches have yet to go live this summer, so Saturday night will be an eye-opener all the way around. He builds his special teams around who makes the 53-man roster, of course, but Clay knows that he's going to notice some players who just flat-out make a difference once the games begin. Rocco Underwood is a rookie long snapper in his first NFL game who, for the first time, has to handle an oncoming defender. He didn't have to do that in college. This is a huge, huge test.

How about the return game, an area in which the Eagles want to be explosive? Who gets first crack in the punt and kickoff return phases of special teams? Good stuff all around to watch in the kicking game.

5. What is Vic Fangio looking for on defense?

There don't appear to be as many moving pieces for the defense, but that isn't necessarily how coordinator Vic Fangio sees it. He has his unique way of knowing what he wants, and no doubt that begins with playing with toughness, discipline, and within the team structure.

The Eagles have shown terrific intensity in the summer and they seem to be flying to the football in Training Camp. Now they can play to the whistle. That changes things dramatically. Depth across the board is what Fangio is looking to develop heading into the regular season and Saturday against a physical, tough Baltimore offense will be a telling tale.

6. Coaching staff communication

This is the first time in a live game environment for Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion and how he communicates to the quarterbacks and to the coaching staff is a critical component to watch. The Eagles want to be efficient, they want to be clear and concise, and they want to make sure that every bit of the transfer of information puts the entire team on the same page.

It isn't just Mannion here, of course. It starts with Head Coach Nick Sirianni and it includes new coaches and coaches returning in different roles like Offensive Line Coach Chris Kuper, Tight Ends Coach/Run Game Coordinator Ryan Mahaffey, Passing Game Coordinator Josh Grizzard, and Quarterbacks Coach Parks Frazier.

Every coach and every team has the same challenges. This is the preseason. It is the time to smooth out wrinkles and work through blips. It is, most importantly, a key time to execute on the field and to evaluate as the roster cutdown date fast approaches.