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Eagles Notes: Washington makes his case to stick with Eagles

If there's room, Kelley Washington may have wormed his way onto the Eagles' 53-man roster Thursday night. The wide receiver was active on both offense and special teams in the first half of the Eagles' final preseason game against the New York Jets. Washington caught two passes for 18 yards and made the type of play on punt coverage that the eight-year veteran is known for.

If there's room, Kelley Washington may have wormed his way onto the Eagles' 53-man roster Thursday night.

The wide receiver was active on both offense and special teams in the first half of the Eagles' final preseason game against the New York Jets. Washington caught two passes for 18 yards and made the type of play on punt coverage that the eight-year veteran is known for.

After the Jets held, punter Sav Rocca booted an end-over-end kick that landed inside the New York 5-yard line. The football spun straight up, and Washington, as the gunner, was Johnny-on-the-spot and downed the ball on the 2.

"I thought he did a good job," coach Andy Reid said. "I'll have to go back and look at his receiving, but I thought our special teams played very well."

Washington was later around a Rocca punt that bounced out at the Jets' 1-yard line just outside the pylon. It wasn't clear if a diving Washington tipped the ball out of bounds or not. He was later whistled for an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty when he stayed out of bounds too long after being pushed by a Jets player on another punt.

As involved as Washington was, he may be the odd man out if the Eagles keep only five receivers when final cuts are made Saturday evening. With the regulars resting, he started alongside rookie Riley Cooper, who is virtually assured a spot on the team.

Washington's primary competition could be Hank Baskett, who played very little and appears to have a slight edge. Chad Hall, the long-shot undrafted receiver out of Air Force, appears to be an even longer shot after Thursday night. He had two catches for 18 yards and ran once for 4 yards.

Macho's last stand?

Macho Harris missed most of training camp with a hamstring strain, and just when he got healthy enough to return, the Eagles switched the cornerback back to safety - where he played last season.

A position change this late in the preseason is not usually a move that indicates the player will make the team. But Harris was given plenty of opportunity against the Jets to show whether he still had enough to make this team. He started at free safety and also played nickel cornerback.

Eagles coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said this week that the play of rookie Trevard Lindley made keeping Harris at cornerback unnecessary. With Joselio Hanson and Dimitri Patterson as the other backup corners, keeping Harris could be a luxury the Eagles can't afford.

The Eagles also acquired cornerback Jorrick Calvin a few days ago when they traded fullback Charles Scott to Arizona for the sometimes-returner. Calvin handled punt return duties Thursday night.

If Harris hopes to make the team as the fourth safety, he'll need to beat out Quintin Demps or rookie Kurt Coleman, who helped his cause with two fumble returns for touchdowns against New York.

Extra points

Aside from the starters, several reserves were given the night off, including defensive tackle Trevor Laws and running back Mike Bell. Patterson is nursing a groin injury. Tight end Cornelius Ingram (knee) played some. The only rookies that were given the night off were starting defensive end Brandon Graham and free safety Nate Allen. . . . The NFL Players Association is looking into whether the trade between the Eagles and Cardinals, in which Scott went to Arizona in exchange for Calvin, was a means to get around paying money into the rookie salary pool, according to the Associated Press. The Eagles, a team source said, didn't expect anything to come of the inquiry.