Eagles Notes: Harris sits out with back spasms

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Ryan Harris, who has held down the starting right tackle position longer than any other offensive lineman during Eagles training camp, sat out Saturday's practice with back spasms.

Coach Andy Reid said that Harris injured his back during a field-goal attempt in Thursday night's preseason game against the Ravens.

"He's had work done on his back before, so we're just going to make sure we check this thing out and that it's right," Reid said. "But right now it looks like it's not too serious."

Harris underwent back surgeries in 2006 and 2007, according to the Denver Post. The first procedure was for a herniated disk while he was at Notre Dame. In August 2007, just before his rookie season with the Broncos, he had a laminectomy to relieve pressure on pinched nerves in his spinal cord.

Harris missed the first five games of the 2007 season. He started every game in 2008 but did not play in eight games in 2009 because of a toe injury, and a high-ankle sprain kept him out of five games last season.

Harris walked out of the locker room at Lehigh University following the morning practice and declined to comment.

With Harris sidelined and Winston Justice, last year's starting right tackle, still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list while recovering from offseason knee surgery, King Dunlap took most of the snaps with the first team on Saturday. Guard Evan Mathis took a few repetitions with the starters but mostly backed up Dunlap.

Austin Howard and Fenuki Tupou have also filled the starting right tackle spot on occasion, but Howard backed up left tackle Jason Peters on Saturday and Tupou is nursing a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee.

"Injuries happen, and guys get hurt, and somebody's got to step in and do something," said Dunlap, who started three games at right tackle last season. "I looked at originally trying to take that spot coming into camp, and I still have that mind-set."

Harris wasn't the only starting lineman missing Saturday morning. Center Jamaal Jackson was out with knee tendinitis.

The 31-year-old Jackson is attempting to come back from back-to-back, season-ending injuries: a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and a torn triceps. Rookie Jason Kelce was on the first team in his place Saturday.

"We're going to let that calm down," Reid said of Jackson's tendinitis.

Asked if Saturday was a maintenance day, Jackson said: "Something like that."

Ten days after suffering a seizure, Mike Patterson was back on the practice fields at Lehigh, although his participation was limited to conditioning.

Reid said that the defensive tackle was still being evaluated by doctors and had permission only to work out. But the coach intimated that Patterson could return to action soon.

"He's got to get himself back into shape," Reid said. "It'll probably be a week or so as we're looking at it now."

Patterson declined an interview request but said that he felt good. A day after his seizure, the Eagles said the likely cause was an arteriovenous malformation near Patterson's brain. Patterson's agent, J.R. Rickert, said Friday that his client was likely to play football again this season.

As expected, the Eagles placed Steve Smith on the PUP list.

The free-agent wide receiver, who signed a one-year contract on Wednesday, isn't expected to remain on the PUP once the season starts. But he's still less than eight months removed from microfracture knee surgery.

Smith, sporting No. 19, was at Lehigh participating in conditioning drills with the rest of the Eagles' injured players.

Reid said Thursday that the addition of Smith had nothing to do with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin's health, but wide receiver DeSean Jackson said otherwise Saturday.

"The reason why they picked him up is because they're unsure of Maclin's health," Jackson said.

Maclin, who hasn't practiced at camp because of an unidentified illness, left camp last week to return to his hometown of St. Louis for further testing. Reid said he had no update on Maclin's condition or when he would return.

Defensive end Juqua Parker injured his right calf. . . . Defensive tackle Trevor Laws hasn't practiced in more than a week because of a hip flexor injury, but said that he should be back soon. . . . Wide receiver Sinorice Moss, who missed Thursday's game with a groin injury, was back at practice. . . . The Eagles signed veteran tackle Joey Toledo, who last played in Seattle, and undrafted rookie tackle Spencer Johnson. They took two of three roster spots that were open after the team waived defensive tackle Brandon Collier (ankle) after an injury settlement and released defensive tackle Charles Noonan and quarterback Jerrod Johnson.