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2023 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Browns-Eagles tie on Thursday night

NFL.com breaks down what you need to know from Week 2 of the 2023 NFL preseason. Catch up on Thursday night's biggest takeaways using the links below:

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  1. Summer of DTR rolls on. Though the numbers didn’t glisten as they have in two previous outings, Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s impressive preseason carried on Thursday in Philadelphia. Staring down a deep and dominant Eagles defensive front, DTR had some happy feet here and there but still made smart decisions and accurate throws. He displayed his scrambling prowess once more and captained Cleveland to a pair of field-goal drives in the first half. After 30 minutes of work, DTR finished the night 13-of-25 passing for 164 yards, highlighted by a pair of hookups with longtime friend Cedric Tillman, with another 18 on the ground via four carries. His stat line wasn’t as sexy as his previous two, but in three games in 14 days, Thompson-Robinson (30 of 46 for 348 yards, 13 carries for 65 yards in three tilts) has shown he can play -- and do so in exciting fashion. Deshaun Watson and Josh Dobbs are cemented at No. 1 and 2 on the QB depth chart, but DTR should’ve locked down the No. 3 spot ahead of Kellen Mond
  2. Do Eagles have cause for concern at QB2? Marcus Mariota’s stay in Atlanta didn’t end well, and his time in Philadelphia isn’t off to a great start, either. Mariota was woefully inaccurate in his first-half showing, missing high often, holding on to the ball too long and simply coming up short when it came to leading the Eagles offense. Checkdowns and scrambles were his only saving graces as he completed 9 of 17 passes for 86 yards, a dreadful interception to Ronnie Hickman and a 42.8 passer rating. It's never apples to apples in the preseason, considering who you’re playing alongside and against, but rookie Tanner McKee looked much sharper than Mariota, to boot. Franchise quarterback plays a rough-and-tumble style of ball and has missed games in each of his last two seasons. Having a viable backup option could be crucial for the Eagles. Mariota has the résumé to fill that spot, but as of late hasn’t displayed the ability. His evening ended with him holding on to the ball for too long before taking a sack. It was a telling conclusion to an uninspiring preseason showing for the veteran QB. 
  3. Find a spot for Diabate. In a first half that ended with an ugly 8-3 score, Browns undrafted free agent Mohamoud Diabate’s gorgeous showing was a big reason as to why. The outside linebacker burst through to gobble up Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell for a 2-yard loss, a safety and a 2-0 lead at the 8:57 mark of the opening quarter. He kept on stacking statistics thereafter. In the second quarter, Diabate forced a Trey Sermon fumble on a textbook punchout to set up a Cade York field goal for an 8-3 advantage. All told, the Utah product posted a team-high seven tackles, two QB pressures, a run stuff, the safety and the forced fumble on 59 snaps. Vying for a roster spot with the Browns, this was a blueprint of how to command notice on the preseason stage. ... Similarly, wide receiver Austin Watkins did all he could to make an argument for a roster spot, grabbing seven receptions (on 14 targets) for a game-high 139 yards and a 32-yard touchdown from Mond.

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