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Reid: "We got to look at" safety position

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Reid: "We got to look at" safety position

POSTED: Thursday, August 30, 2012, 11:31 PM

Jeff McLane and Zach Berman

The Eagles must gauge their confidence in Nate Allen for next season. (Yong Kim/Staff file photo)

The Eagles will have some tough choices to make at the safety position over the next few days, but they won't have much to do with letting go of players that other teams would snatch up the instant they hit the waiver wire.

With little depth at the position, the Eagles will surely be combing the waiver wire after NFL teams trim their rosters to 53 on Friday.

"I got to look at that," Reid said Thursday after the Eagles beat the Jets, 28-10, in the preseason finale. "That's one of the spots I got to look at and just make sure we're set there. We'll do that."

Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman are the starting safeties. Aside from a few hamstring injuries that Allen has had this preseason, the Eagles are set there. There is some concern about both, however, based on their first two seasons in the NFL.

That's why the backup safety position is so important. O.J. Atogwe was signed in June to add veteran experience to the position. But the 31-year-old safety who played most of his career in St. Louis, has been injured most of the preseason.

He aggravated a hamstring strain in the first quarter of Thursday's night's game and did not return.

"I definitely didn't rush back to play," Atogwe said. "I felt great all week. I believe if I would have played last week or the last game, I would have been rushing back. We were very cautious and very wise in handling it."

Atogwe played in the first preseason game, but missed the next two. Reid was asked if he had seen enough of the 31-year old to make a decision on whether he belongs on the roster.

"That does make it a little tougher," Reid said. He added: "You saw him a lot with the Rams. He didn't have quite have as much with the Redskins [last season]. We got to go back and just look at that and see where were at."

The Eagles wouldn't be in this bind if Jaiquawn Jarrett had developed. The 2011 second-round pick appeared to be in jeopardy of making the team after a woeful performance in his lone preseason start against the Steelers. He has not been as bad since, but he has played mostly against reserves.

Undrafted rookie Phillip Thomas has shown glimpses of talent, but could be destined to land on the practice squad.

The Eagles have yet to make a decision on safety Colt Anderson, who is recovering from a torn ACL. He is currently on the physically unable to perform list and could remain there when the Eagles set their roster tomorrow. If he does, he won't be eligible to play until the seventh game of the season.

Anderson has played almost exclusively on special teams, but his availability could affect how the Eagles handle the safety position. More than likely, a player to be named will be added once the waiver wire is clogged with safeties looking for jobs.

23 comments

Comments (23)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:17 PM, 08/31/2012

None of those experiments are even close to as crazy as a linebacker to safety. Clayton is good, but he's got at LB. He would get torched as a safety. You need to be able to play FS and SS in this scheme too, it wouldn't work.

— colahead420

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:47 AM, 08/31/2012

At least Clayton actually played safety in college! We'll just be switching him BACK.

— operagost

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:19 PM, 08/31/2012

He would have to lose a large amount of weight and get acclimated to the speed of receivers. They made him an LB because he wasn't fast enough.

— colahead420

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:59 AM, 08/31/2012

I really wish Colt was healthy

— blueye7

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:30 PM, 08/31/2012

I'm still not sure there is a starting caliber NFL safety on this roster. If only they had picked Earl Thomas over Brandon "offsides" Graham.

Even if Jarrett survives today's cuts, he could still be gone if there is a safety cut somewhere else they can pick up. Otagwe is probably a goner because he can't stay healthy.

— Only in Philly...