The preseason is here and you know what that means: The players on the field are fighting for jobs and while the games don't count in the standings, they mean everything to everyone involved in the action.

Actually, when the Bengals come to town for Thursday's 7:30 PM preseason opener (NBC10, Philadelphia), it begins an intense period of time for a 90-man roster that will be reduced to 53 players following the preseason in a matter of – gulp – less than three weeks. The Eagles have three preseason games and two days of joint practices against Cleveland ahead, so this is a critical, critical time.

Anyway, what are we watching on Thursday night? Everything, of course. But to narrow it down …

1. The QB picture

Tanner McKee is likely to see a lot of action and he is well-equipped to run the offense. We saw some of that last season when McKee played and performed well against Dallas in relief of Kenny Pickett and then against the New York Giants in the regular-season finale. He is No. 2 on the depth chart and is a confident young quarterback having a great Training Camp.

Behind him, the Eagles would love to get Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord some reps. Both have been solid in Training Camp learning the new offense and any time they get on the field will benefit both players. They are different styles of quarterbacks, so it will be interesting to see what Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo has in mind should they play.

2. New guys and their preseason debuts

There are so many to watch, but some in particular: Running back A.J. Dillon, tight ends Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson, edge players Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche, all of the draft picks. There are a lot of new faces here. There are a lot of players trying to make the roster. There are a lot of players with careers on the line. The Eagles had an extremely active offseason, challenging the roster via free agency and the NFL Draft. They didn't "run it back" after winning Super Bowl LIX, so this is going to be worth watching in the next couple of weeks.

3. Which starting jobs are up for grabs?

Fair question. Not a whole lot on offense, where the Eagles return 10 starters and truly are only seeing how the right guard spot plays out – Tyler Steen has looked terrific playing with the first unit there all summer – but the defense has a lot of change. There are legitimate challenges at linebacker, at cornerback, at safety. This is going to be great to watch – how much can rookies Jihaad Campbell and Smael Mondon impact the linebacker group? Where does Jeremiah Trotter Jr. fit in? Is Sydney Brown ready to be a big-time contributor at safety? Who wins the starting cornerback job opposite of Quinyon Mitchell?

4. Will the starters play?

That remains to be seen. In years past, it has been a mixed bag, and Head Coach Nick Sirianni isn't giving any clues here. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio has some openings, so he may use some of his potential starters for a series or two, as he did last year, to get to know the personnel just a little bit more.

5. Who is going to emerge to win a roster spot?

This happens all the time, doesn't it? Reed Blankenship … Thomas Booker … E.J. Jenkins … Moro Ojomo … Eli Ricks … the list goes on and on. Those players helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl last season and, truthfully, were not sure things making the roster when they were lining up in their first preseasons with the Eagles. In some cases, their second preseasons, either. Booker was traded on Tuesday for cornerback Jakorian Bennett (No. 49), who is with the team. He has not yet practiced and it is not known if he will play on Thursday night.

6. What will constitute a win on Thursday night?

It isn't about the scoreboard in the preseason, but it is always fun to outscore the other team. What you really want is an error-free night, a good, crisp 60 minutes where the personnel is organized and the players stay healthy and the football is well-executed. The Eagles would love to see some separation at a few positions – who are the fourth and fifth wide receivers, who steps forward at that cornerback spot, etc. – but that will absolutely come in time. Emerge from the game healthy and play good football.

We're all going to see the special teams in action for the first time and, with that, the new kickoff rules – touchbacks into the end zone come out to the 35-yard line, not the 30 as it was last season, for example – and the new Artificial Intelligence used to measure first downs.

The fun starts Thursday! Preseason football begins, a super-important time to evaluate personnel on the road to 53 players and a practice squad (up to 17 players) in place for the September 4 opener against Dallas.