Eagles Week: 5 matchups to watch

Sproles is one of many tough matchups in the Eagles vaunted offense. Bill Striecher/USA Today Sports

Last week, I took a look at five matchups to watch as the Patriots traveled to Virginia to take on the Redskins in three joint practices leading up to their preseason opener. The Pats will be back at it this week, this time hosting the Eagles in joint practices tomorrow and Wednesday leading up to their second preseason game on Friday. Here's a preview of some of the more intriguing matchups to keep an eye on when these two teams butt heads.

Tom Brady vs Cary Williams 

The outspoken Eagles corner made headlines this past week by calling the Patriots "cheaters" and saying he did not want to practice with them. He also essentially admitted to intentionally provoking a fight with then-rookie Aaron Dobson during last years joint practice sessions.

While Williams will be individually matched up with the Patriots receivers, it will be Brady at the helm of the offense. As competitive as they come, I can't imagine Brady was too thrilled about Williams calling into question the legitimacy of his three Super Bowl championships. Look for the signal caller to try to make a statement with his play on the field, and look for Williams to be targeted early and often throughout the practices.

Patriots linebackers vs Darren Sproles

The Patriots improved speed at linebacker will be put to the test this week with arguably the toughest cover out of the backfield in the entire NFL. The diminutive Sproles has always been an explosive playmaker, with excellent hands and the shiftiness to turn short passes into big gains. Already a challenge to matchup with, Sproles could be an even tougher cover playing in Chip Kelly's fast paced, wide open offense. It will be interesting to see how the linebackers (Jamie Collins and James Anderson in particular), deal with Sproles in practice.

Nate Solder vs Trent Cole

Solder must be better this week than he was in DC

I highlighted Solder last week, citing Washington's Brian Orakpo as a good example of the type of upper-echelon pass rusher the Patriots need to be able to trust Solder to quiet. Simply put, the fourth year tackle didn't do a good job of that last week, struggling on the practice field before giving up a sack and a holding penalty in limited snaps against Orakpo.

While Cole isn't on Orakpo's level as a pass rusher, he remains a productive player and the best pass rusher on the Eagles. It will be interesting to see how Solder responds to last week's struggles, and if he can put them behind him to perform well against Cole.

Chandler Jones vs Jason Peters 

Jones is another player I highlighted last week. He is by far the Patriots most talented pass rusher, and will be counted on to provide pressure week-to-week, despite going against the league's best left tackles.

Jones didn't particularly stand out negatively or positively last week going against Washington's Trent Williams, and he didn't play in Thursday's preseason opener. This week, he'll take a crack at another top tackle in Philly's Peters, who has been amongst the game's better pass protectors for most of his nine year career. Between one-on-one drills in practice and likely a couple of series in Friday's game, Jones will have his opportunities to make plays. If Jones is to make the leap many have projected for the third year pro, he'll have to consistently be able to win matchups against tougher competition like Peters.

Patriots safeties vs Zach Ertz

Last week didn't really do much to shed any light on the competition for the starting strong safety job. The presumed favorite for the job, Duron Harmon, didn't show particularly well in his limited snaps, taking a bad angle on a Washington touchdown. His primary competition, Tavon Wilson and Patrick Chung, showed up with some solid tackling, but both players are known for being better in run support than in pass coverage.

After seeing Jordan Reed make plenty of plays against them in practice last week, the Patriots secondary will face another up-and-coming, receiving threat at the tight end position in Zach Ertz. The athletic Ertz was an afterthought for much of his rookie season last year, but came along towards the end of the season and flashed considerable potential as a receiver. He's expected to be a bigger part of the passing game this season, and will see his share of targets with Riley Cooper out and Jeremy Maclin slowly working his way back from a knee injury. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots safeties fare in contending with his speed, and whether someone can start to gain separation from the competition at the position.

Brandon Browner vs referees

One additional thing to note: there will be NFL referees on hand at practice this week, officiating the live 11-on-11 work as if it was a game. We'll be keeping our eyes on how strictly they call pass interference/illegal contact with the league's new emphasis on those rules, with the physical Browner getting extra attention due to his reliance on press coverage.