Watkins out; DeVan in
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Watkins out; DeVan in
Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari
Danny Watkins will not start against the Rams on Sunday, according to a report. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
It didn't take long.
Eagles top draft pick Danny Watkins is out as the starting right guard and the recently-acquired Kyle DeVan is in. DeVan, picked up off waivers on Sunday, took all the first team snaps during this morning's walkthrough, a team source said.
With just four days until the Eagles open the regular season at St. Louis, Andy Reid shook up his offensive line once again. This one wasn't as earth-rattling as moving Todd Herremans from left guard to right tackle, because Watkins has been struggling mightily, but it was just one more example that the line is a major concern heading into the season.
Asked if Watkins was his starter, Reid would not confirm, even though he had said following Thursday's preseason game against the New York Jets that the rookie was still at right guard.
"I'm not going to get into all the personnel things here," Reid said during his Wednesday press conference. "We'll see."
Watkins declined to confirm any changes.
"Nothing's changed for me," Watkins said. "We're approaching it like any other week, just getting familiar with the Rams' blitz and defense and fronts."
Since he was drafted in the first round of April's draft, Watkins has been penciled in as the starting right guard. He showed up late for training camp after negotiations for his contract lingered. He started once he arrived, but looked lost at various points in the first three preseason games.
He was also the only starter to play in the preseason finale against the Jets. Obviously, he didn't play well enough to hold onto his job.
"Sometimes it's good to take one small step back to take a big step forward," Reid said. Watkins "will be out there practicing. We got Kyle, who also can play, in that spot. We're comfortable with either direction that we go."
DeVan was released by the Colts on Saturday. He started nine games including all the playoffs for Indianapolis in 2009, and 12 games in 2010. Howard Mudd, the Eagles' current offensive line coach, was his coach in 2009.
"I’m not focused on getting the starting role – I’m focused on contributing and making this team the best it can be," said DeVan, who arrived and got his Eagles playbook just two days ago.
Since the first preseason game, the Eagles offensive line has had three starting right tackles (Ryan Harris, King Dunlap and Herremans), two right guards (Watkins and DeVan), two centers (Jamaal Jackson and Jason Kelce), two left guards (Herremans and Evan Mathis) and Jason Peters at left tackle.
"Coach Reid always does everything with the best interests of the team and the guys," Herremans said. "so this is the right move for right now."
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:
-- With Joselio Hanson back in the fold, running back Ronnie Brown went back to having Brian Westbrook's old jersey number of 36. Hanson had his regular No. 21 on at practice today.
-- Reid said that quarterback Vince Young would be the only player not to practice today. Young has a hamstring strain and is still "day-to-day," Reid said. Reid also said that if Young wasn't available to play Sunday that he would be comfortable with dressing just Michael Vick and Mike Kafka at quarterback.
-- Reid said that Jeremy Maclin has taken all the first team repetitions at wide receiver during the last few days of practice. Maclin said he will start Sunday. He also said that he could be returning punts alongside DeSean Jackson. Asked if he's handled any punts yet in practice Maclin said, "No."
-- Speaking of Jackson, he still doesn't have a contract extension. Said Reid: "He's taken care of the business side, both he and Drew, and so now he's free to play football and not worry about that and that's what he's done. He said he would do it and that's how he's handled himself. He's been very focused."
Jackson, of course, sat out the first 11 days of camp, but has practiced every day since returning on Aug. 8. "I think DeSean has done great," Vick said. "I think his attitude exemplifies that. He wants to be the consummate teammate, he wants to earn everything that’s going to come his way, and if you see him out on the practice field or you see him in the locker room he’s a happy individual. And you can only control what you can control and things will happen when it’s time and I think he understands that.”
-- Reid said that tackle Winston Justice was shooting to play Sunday. Justice missed all of training camp and the preseason as he recovered from off-season knee surgery. Justice is now the backup right tackle to Herremans.
-- While Steve Smith has been saying that he wants to play Sunday, Reid sounded less optimistic about the chances the receiver will play.
Comments (90)
This is NOT a diss toward Danny....He is over his head...This is a story of a coach who is scrambling for his job....He sold management on this kid....adn the kid is not ready...(and it is not his fault--he has only played football for 4 years in a suspect program) .....This is another reason where Andy has failed in drafting....and Castile is the next one to fail due to Andy's talent choices.....NO Linebackers...Guess the man who has won nothing in 12 years but thinks he invented the game has done it again....Maybe we are all wrong about Joe....He pays the two best cornerbacks and gives us the 100 million dollar face of the franchise QB and figures his coach will protect him......so now Andy has screwed the franchise, Joe and Michael in his detailed know it all 7 volume playbook (that coincidnetly only worked when Donovan had legs and now Michael with the back up VY...HMMMM Time to cut and run Joe and Jeff....Get him out of here......— nuggett
Comment removed.- Two first round picks in a row that could not start opening day: Brandon Graham and now Watkins.— mick-of-the-moment
- @gb20; you got that right my friend just call him Michael(BO JANGLES) Vick...said it before AR is burnt-out!— larryv
- Danny boy next time show up for camp, rookie. See you in the trade news. How's your agent's advice sound now?— hallux
- Watkins = Dean Miraldi = Antone Davis = Leonard Mitchell— jman
- Comment removed.
- Shady24, YOU are the moron. Green Bay is the SB champ - rookies need to work themselves in. The Eagles' O-line is a shambles. If their #1 pick can't start, then he is a bust. Apologists are saying "he only started playing football at age 22". WELL THEN HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A FIRST_ROUND PICK! Score another one for Reid's inept drafting history!— jman
- Eagles gotta pay that man!!!— citysims
- Reid said the same thing at his presser that he said after he lied to Kolb about being the starter. Who's next?— Carlos2
- I feel sorry for Watkins, he was at best a 2-3 round pick. By picking him 1 the Eagles put a lot of pressure on a guy who did not have the benefit of off season training. He may still be a good player but the expectations may minimize any of his success. The Eagles should have taken Ingram of Alabama. For New Orleans, all he has been doing is scoring TD's from 5 yards out. I forgot, Andy believes you don't need a running game to win Superbowls. I guess that is why we have all those trophies.— angrybear
- Comment removed.
- Lets review. Watkins, a #1 draft pick this yesr at 26 years old, replaced by a player that was cut. The Steelers #1 pick last year was Pouncey, now only22, who made the ALL+Pro team, and if he stays healthy, will be a star in the league for years to come. You cannot win Super Bowls if you cannot draft quality in the early rounds.— watsonmr
- personally ..typo lol— diehardeagle
- Guys DeVan was not on the Superbowl winning team !!! He was on the team that just lost to the Saints!! I personal hate Reids drafting since we took Freddie Mitchell over Chad Johnson (who I just knew we would take). Had Reid done enough film work of Chad he would have seen a guy named Steve Smith who played with Chad n dominated with him at a smaller school before Chad transferred to Oregon !!! We needed receivers back then not just 1 anyway !!!!!. They both ran 4.3's plus at the combine ..Freddie 4.45...even writers n scouts thgh we would take Chad !!!! I'll skip to last years draft because we know all about the in-between picks..How do you not take Earl Thomas with failed replacements for Dawkins ???? Graham was a reach...he may be good eventually but how great would E.Thomas n Coleman look in the secondary now with those corners n Dline upgrades !!! I could have lived with Pouncey more !! We could have then traded that Allen pick for this yr n moved up n gotten an impact player again ..Not Watkins at 26 !!!! (The tackle for Dallas is 20yrs old n looks very athletic n will get better )!! Or we could have did something else. That along with Reids other flaws(Running the ball, LB position etc) kill me!! I still hope he surprises me thgh n I have to root for them.. DeVan is a good pickup but we'll see...— diehardeagle
- All that money and all those moves the Eagles made this offseason why didnt they use any of it to address the offensive line when that was clearly their weakness coming into the season. Why has no one asked that question of Reid? Why would you not do anything to improve that line? And dont tell me they drafted Watkins because addressing your biggest weakness by putting it in the hands of a rookie is not addressing it.— philliekev04
- Some of these guys should start their own fan club....The Debbie Downers (skit from Saturday Night Live for those who don't know)
They all must be mega-rich and have turned down multiple offers as a GM. They're mega-rich betting in Las Vegas because they "know" stuff way before everyone else does. Their draft expertise is phenomenal.
They would have drafted Brian Brohm instead of Kevin Kolb. They would have drafted Limas Sweed instead of Desean Jackson. They would have drafted Ron Brace or Darius Butler instead of Lesean McCoy.
They should pool their millions and buy a team and really show everyone how it's done !— bleedgreen - Wow !!! Told my wife when he was drafted this guy looked like a "Baby Huey". When does a guard first round pick not start ?? This is not a Tackle ! You got to be kiddin' me ! Dream Team??? Creamed team ?? Losers again !!!— soprano50
- Good move giving Watkins more time to learn rather than throwing him in the fire from game one.— pitzdidg
- that is bull that manning won the super bowl with his o-line manning was mediocre in the SB colts won, the defense stepped up late in the regular season into the play-offs they won that year because of the defense not manning.— only 9
- Except for Tra Thomas the Eagles have a terrible history drafting #1 pick OL's. Watkins will never be a starting OG for this team. We just trashed a #1 pick. Hopefully, he can settle into a viable backup for the right side of the line (G/T). The center who was drafted in the 6th round is a better player. However, he will split time (50/50) with Jackson this season. I hope Watkins can play on special teams. He can pretend he is going to a fire.— garcia7
- Shawn Andrews was not a bad pick 2 Pro-bowls and gave B-West the best season of his career in '07. They had no idea he'd turn into a pathetic, gutless clown. Brining in his brother was the real mistake.
- With the lockout, it was completely unrealistic to expect any rookie to start on the offensive line this year. They put him on the 1st team to get him as many reps as possible in hopes he'd be able to get up to speed quick enough but that was unlikely for anybody. Watkins will be back starting within a few games.— JimG
- Long snap to Vick like he is the F-ing punter!— NYPHILLYPHAN
- Comment removed.
- What matters most initially is Vick is protected. Now what the FO can do since Danny is not starting is renegotiate his contract and give DJax some of that money since DJax will be starting and contributing.— VegasEagleFan
- Devan plays well the Eagles win and Reid's a genius. Let's wait until after the game and see what happens. Watkins comes in later and plays well Reid's a genius. So let's just wait and see.— VegasEagleFan
- The first question to ask when drafting an offensive or defensive lineman is, Is he nasty? If he's not don't draft him. The point is Watkins surely has size and talent and seems like a good person but I haven't seen "football" nasty like big Runyan.— BCRock
- I have no reason to doubt that Watkins in time will be good, but let's shift gears and take a look back at the top of that much ballyhooed 2010 draft: Graham, Allen, Teo, Lindley.— dasher
- It takes the pressure off Watkins and now he can learn the system without getting his QB killed. He obviously had zero clue about OL calls at the line of scrimmage and if he doesn't know them, it's hard to get on the field.— dlivesay
- It takes the pressure off Watkins and now he can learn the system without getting his QB killed. He obviously had zero clue about OL calls at the line of scrimmage and if he doesn't know them, it's hard to get on the field.— dlivesay
- Learn to read and interpret. He is not STARTING. He will PLAY. It looks like he is being eased in. There were times where he was impressive in the preseason but the consistency was lacking. That will come with time.— shadow22
- Awwwwwwwww! The fireman has to sit! A first round pick and all he does it sit. Goes to show you how dumb Philly is in Drafting players!— MRD
- I guess "hairy nuggetts" isn't a fan of ours. If any of you people on here think that yall can do a better job than Reid, why don't I see any of yall idiots walking on the sidelines with a clipboard? As much as we football fans know about the game, we really have no insight into HOW it's produced, nor the level of preparation that really goes into it. And please, don't any of yall idiots start yapping about how many years you've spent watching training camp practices and the like. I've been to Lehigh plenty of times. Does it make me an expert or anything? Hell naw...We can talk about AR's track record for finding the right type of guys to make these yearly campaigns work, and the fallout years later, but how do you diss Watkins, a player who's come to play this brutal @$$ sport with no "REAL" preparation for what he's going to see and have to deal with this year? That's nuts. And yall cats on here dissing Watkins are a bunch of hairy ones. I agree with the move to a veteran of Mudd's system. I wish Kelce could get some more girth on his foundation, but from what I've seen, Kelce ain't as big an issue as Watkins did. Watkins hasn't got that head-on-a-swivle thing yet, but he's got nothing but time. One thing you can't take away from him: Being a firefighter, you gotta have some balls to do that, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. But good move, Red.— DAME
- Funny. I thought his advanced age was not an issue because he would be an immediate impact starter.— kimbo39
- Dream Team. Another round of Kool-Aid for the faithful please.— Scope33
- not a surprise....Watkins was a reach at best.....and the week before Andy realized it.....what does that say about any of his draft picks or coaching selections.....Yes, I know he knows more football than any man on the planet and is the "only" man who can coach the Eagles and if we canned him...we would be set adrift in the world of Rich Kotites.....(you koolade fools) this is an incredible example of a man who has failed 12 years and is grasping at straws......Maybe Joe is the best talent selector....(he did sign the two super CBs) and Andy is jsut an avearage coach who knows how to kiss up to management......NO RT, now NO RG, NO MLB and a mediorce record agianst teams with winning records, and a failure in winning the only thing that counts......Danny got jobbed by a stubborn man, Castile is the next one to get snowed under by a job that cannot be done properly due to poor talent......— nuggett
- he should have never been picked. Not in the first round anyway. Not a good move on Reid's part.— phillyboy11
- A porous O-line lets Vick create with his feet, which is exciting and often unstoppable.— Leegles
- Every team in the division has been making big o-line changes. Cowboys cut their center and rookie right tackle, Giants have many new starters, Redskins rebuilding. I bet Shawn Andrews shows up someplace before the year is over. Get that Michael Phelps on!— barneygoogle
- YES!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Watkins, right now, is HORRIBLE!!!— psualum
- offensive line a mess? check.
linebackers a mess? check.
groundhog day.— chadp1234 - punt and kick-off return a mess - check — socalken
- Yo Ken. You squeal and whine like a sow. You lack the ability to add anything new stupid or intelligent. You're cluttering this blob with the same sh*t over and over. Catch a breath girl and wait to see what happens. — Dr Bri
- You know what's bad? First not having anyone who can play that position and then drafting a rookie who was going to be the answer, and now isnt.— tr88
- Everybody panic!!!— Clt Philly Fan
- You can't expect a new o-line to start from day one and pass block effectively. Coaches can't call a pass play unless they're in max protection. Based on Shady's stats on turf and this brand new O-line, we should look to get them on the attack until they jell. RUN THE BALL!!!!!— Eagles Fan in NY
- So another team's sixth or seventh expendable guard is our starting guard on opening day. And how is it that a sixth round rookie is a better option at center than someone who has proven himself over seventy+ starts. Arrogant Reid actually believes he can make gold from lead. I am not impressed with this Mudd guy. Looks like Reid gave him too much latitude early and is now reeling him in. I gotta believe the next announcement will be that Jackson with start at center.— socalken
- Comment removed.
- Completely agree. Another wasted pick. — socalken
- OL=??????— ziggy26
- Reid and Banner remind me of the Bush Administration. Everyone could see their incompetence except them. True, Reid didn't start two illegal wars leading to the death of half a million innocent women, children, minorities, and gays, I am beyond disappointed in Reid, Banner, and Roseman's drafting of bums like Watkins, Laws (recall; taken 2 picks before D-Jax) T'eo Neisheim, and Allen. That reminds me of the disasterous decisions made daily by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Palin, and Perry, who are all criminals that deserve to be in jail for either war crimes or sedition. Reid of course just deserves to be fired.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Don't forget Fred Ex, MacDougal, and Abiamiri. How about the Stacey Andrews signing to help get his brother head on straight. I am convinced this team's only goal is to get a media buzz about winning the Super Bowl rather than actually winning the Super Bowl. Its just not right that teams like the Saints get Super Bowl before we do. Remember 05 when they were something like 3-13? Three years later they're holding a trophy we been waiting forty years for. AR has wasted 13 years. Time to move past this moron. — socalken
- HAHAHA, what decisions were Palin and Perry making during the Bush administration, or is that a "preemptive" rant? — tr88
- Now start Jackson at center. Two games in domes to start the season, is why you start the veteran in Jackson and ease in the rookie center.— 76er
- Now start Jackson at center. Two games in domes to start the season, is why you start the veteran in Jackson and ease in the rookie center.— 76er
- Should have moved up and drafted Carimi— blueye7
- This is concerning. Good move to admit the rookie needs some time. Bad sign that we are going with someone who was waived from another team.— reveugene
- Another team's scrap i sour starting guard. Smart move Reid. What's the over-under on Vick's starts behind this line, six? — socalken
- This is going to be a disaster. Reid is the biggest idiot in sports. Every year we go into the season with a glaring weakness, in many cases self-inflicted. Another wasted 1st rd pick. Castillo, whose claim to fame was an offensive line coaching scheme that had to be scrapped, promoted to defensive coordinator. All the great coordinators out there and we get an average offensive line coach. What the hell? Now we are going to use our two best receivers (and two of the best in the NFL) to return punts. What the hell? This team is always poorly prepared to compete. Reid gets lucky from time to time but he is a fat loser. Thankfully this will be this moron's last season as he will fail spectacularly.— socalken
- "Another wasted 1st round pick" AND "two best receivers (and two of the best in the NFL" Contradict yourself much? (Although Desean was a 2nd rounder, Reid really is terrible I suppose huh?)
You, being a well qualified NFL draft expert, are claiming Watkins a bust because he's not starting week 1 of his NFL career. Man your too much. Oh, and BTW, EVERY team goes into the start of the year with at least ONE glaring weakness..... There is only 1 team that ever figures it out, the Super Bowl Champ.....— shady24 - First off, Mudd is nowhere near an "average" O-line coach. His lines kept Petyon Manning's jersey clean almost every game. I'd argue 2 things won them that superbowl- Manning and his O-line. So if Mudd is "average", what have we been working with all this time? Second, EVERY team goes into any season with at least one big question mark- sometimes you have to make some adjustments and try out different guys in different special teams situations as seasons progress. its the nature of the game. Mac and Jax are penciled in now, but believe me the 4-5 guys are getting LOTS of work returning punts as we speak. We'll find a serviceable guy, if not a home run hitter, and protect our underpaid asset. Finally, the rest of the league has NO IDEA what to expect from Castillo, and thats a huge advantage that obviously played into the decision to make him D-Co. McDermott was just same system, different guy with much, much poorer in game adjustments and teams caught on real quick that he was just a less talented JJ clone and made us (and him) look like amateurs. I criticize Andy Reid as much as the next guy (draft pics, game management, play calling ,etc), but this season is different. Open your mind and just watch it play out.
- What the hell? — JettaPSU01
- Comment removed.
- should of draft another OL besides watkins i still think we should of Draft Gabe Cambrini but who knows— VickaDelphia24
- Great move. You don't start him because he's a first round pick, especially if he's not ready. Most insecure coaches would have. Nice job, Big Red.— rssjkr
- Big Red is a moron of the highest order. We're four days from the protecting a $100 million asset with another team's cast-offs. I wonder what Lurie will says when his QB investment gets ground into hamburger. — socalken
- Hard to argue against Devan. He's a proven guard from a quality system that produced results. I still like the rookies. I think from what I've seen they are going to be good and in Philly for a while.— Dexter
- Comment removed.
- Settle down, folks. Watkins is a rookie. Just because a rookie is not starting in Week 1 following a lockout shortened off-season does not make him a bust. Once he makes the transition, he may be just fine. Getting DeVan in their back pocket may prove to be a great move by Andy.— montanadelphia
- They have always said the best five players will start. If this report is true, they obviously feel DeVan can play RG better than Watkins can... For now. I'm for whomever protects Vick the best.— Commish
- Here's a guy who got cut by the Colts and within 3 days has the starting right guard job, DREAM TEAM, eh???— johnnyb85
- Either way, this spells disaster!! How will DeVan learn the offense in a few days
— ray rhodes - Dream team is deep enough to just plug in another star.— P Even
- Just be glad Devan was out there. whew.... I'll give AR props when he gets it right and pulling Dannyboy was the right move till he gets situated in the NFL. Now he needs to put JJ in at center and let Kelcy learn the job for a few games as well.... Wonder if it was Reid or Mudd who made this call.— greenflyer
- Someone else's scrap is our starting guard. Great! Reid = Moron. — socalken
- Guy was solid guard for our O-line coach during their super-bowl win with the Colts. He's a salary cap casualty and part of the line play overhaul in Indy after Mudd left. He's one of Mudd's prototypical guys, a class act, and a great addition to the team. Negadelphia creeps into every transaction.
Further, expecting Watkins to be a dominant guard right out of the gate given his relative lack of experience and lost teachings due to the lockout is a pipe dream. Everyone should reserve their disappointment until late season at the EARLIEST. People need to get real here. - Watkins will have the job later in the season, he has had to make a lot of changes in his play and not every player reaaly good or really bad can do that in just 8 weeks. DeVan has experience with this type of line and will allow Watkins a bit more time with the learning curve. The "O" line is all that seperates MV from a career ending injury and I don't want to see that!— unbelieveable!
- Good thing pencils have erasers.— jjthree
- another wasted high round draft pick for Reid- unless it's picking at a skill positon like wr or rb, Reid has no idea what he's doing in early rounds --compare all his wasted high picks vs teams like Giants or Steelers or Packers who consistently draft much superior players even when they're drafting after the Eagles— warbiscuit
- Green Bay 2011 pick isn't starting..... He must be a bust too.... U sir, are a MORON! — shady24
- Really... The season hasn't even started yet and he's a bust. His carreer barely has begun. No OTAs or playbook until August. I didn't know all first round rookies start game one and complete at a high level. — SC Philly Fan
- no ota's no off-season work outs, no playbook. So why not go with a veteran in July and give your team a chance in September? Now its a Chinese fire drill four days before the start of the season. If you can't question the pick, its at least legitimate to question the precipitous decision to start him. — socalken
- great move - Watkins will be motivated to learn the position to earn his job back now - hope he "gets it" and this does not turn into another 1st round experiment - I am sure there were better guys available at that position during the draft— Tom Man
- Leo R. Rautins part II.— younged
- He'll be starting by age 30.— toccheyhockey
Hallelujah!— NancyNancy- Better out now than two weeks later with a lot of "bust" talk.— johnnydomino
- This is a smart move. Watkins was obviously overwhelmed. Devan is familiar with the Mudd system. Put Devan in now, rather than wait for Watkins to struggle in the opener, and pulling him anyway.— arrowamy
- Smart. Too much responsibility too fast. Can't risk Vick.— tpizza
1
Popular Posts
About this blog
Birds' Eye View is the Inquirer's blog covering all things Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.
Jeff McLane
Inquirer Staff Writer
Zach Berman
Inquirer Staff Writer
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
