Three Patriots players that need to have a good joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles

The real test for the New England Patriots this preseason is on Tuesday.

The team is scheduled to play their second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, but before then, they will be holding a joint practice with Nick Sirianni's team.

And it will be especially important for a few key players on the Patriots roster. So we compiled a list of three players that need to have a good joint practice against the Eagles.

QB Drake Maye

The rookie quarterback only got one drive during the Patriots first preseason game, so joint practice is going to be vital.

He needs to get game situation reps, and while he's been going up against his own defense, it's not the same. But with the Eagles coming to town, who have a top-tier defense, Maye will have quite the challenge.

This is the best way to prepare him for the NFL, and Mayo even confirmed that Maye was set to see more time in the pocket.

So let's see how he does.

CB Christian Gonzalez

It has been a quiet camp for the second-year cornerback.

It's not that he's been bad. More like he just hasn't had a highlight reel play or anything like that. Instead, he's just been a steady presence on the field.

The Patriots have done a lot of 1-v-1 drills between wide receivers and cornerbacks during training camp, but that is more for the offense's benefit. Even Patriots cornerback coach Mike Pellegrino said that they don't put much stock into it and instead use it to focus on their foot skills. But we do have to mention that Gonzalez has lost a lot of those reps.

Going up against the Eagles offense and getting a rematch with AJ Smith and Devonta Smith, Gonzalez has the opportunity to have that one play that everyone has been waiting for.

LB Matthew Judon

Judon wants a new contract and has not been quiet about this. However, despite the team making an offer, the two sides have not come to an agreement.

Judon has been a key piece of the Patriots defense since coming to New England and his presence was certainly missed after suffering a season-ending injury last year. Because of that, he lost some leverage in the negotiations. And throughout training camp, the linebacker hasn't been able to truly show what he's capable of when going up against his own team.

But with the Eagles coming to town, he needs to go out there and prove that he hasn't missed a beat despite the injury. Not many players can get passed the opposing team's offensive line and rush the quarterback with the same ease that Judon does. Yet, we haven't seen that for a full year.

Judon didn't see any time in the first preseason game, but he was very involved on the sidelines. And that is one additional reason why the team should extend him.

He's a natural leader, a fan-favorite, and all that's left is to see if he has the same level of production that he did before he was sidelined.