TRUSTS CHOOCH IN A PINCH
Andy Reid said he wasn't concerned (is he ever?) about the relatively low numbers the Eagles have at certain positions following Saturday's roster cut down to 53.
The Eagles usually carry four safeties, but have just three -- Quintin Mikell and rookies Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman -- right now. Reid said that cornerback Dimitri Patterson would get repetitions at safety as an in-case-of-emergency guy.
The team also only has two tight ends with Brent Celek and Clay Harbor. Reid said that he had several other options at tight end including receivers Hank Baskett and Jason Avant, who know some of the ins and outs of the position, and rookie Riley Cooper, who is learning. The coach also said some of the tackles can handle some of the tight end's blocking duties.
Reid did not rule out another move this week, especially with can't-sit-still Howie Roseman at the general manager controls.
"You're talking about 17 moves we've made over the last few months," Reid said. "I can't sit here and tell you that we're absolutely done. We feel very comfortable with the football team that we have right now."
As for injuries, every player practiced today except for recently-acquired defensive end Antwan Barnes, who was a late arrival. Reid said that center Jamaal Jackson (knee), center/guard Mike McGlynn (back), linebacker Ernie Sims (forearm) and Patterson (groin) were able to go.
DeSean Jackson, who injured his upper back/neck area two weeks ago, practiced. The receiver recently had his wisdom teeth taken out and Reid said his mouth was still a little sore. Defensive end Trent Cole (ankle) was also a full participant.
Reid said that Jamaal Jackson is slated to start the season opener against the Packers next Sunday, barring a setback. Nick Cole took his first reps as the new starter at right guard after the Eagles traded Stacy Andrews to Seattle. New addition, Reggie Wells, who the Eagles traded for on Friday, also practiced. He's listed as Cole's backup.
"I'm going to try and bolster the offensive line as best as I can," Wells said.
As expected, guard Max Jean-Gilles re-signed with the Eagles Sunday.
The Eagles were forced to temporarily release Jean-Gilles on Saturday when they failed to complete the Stacy Andrews-to-Seattle deal by the league-mandated 6 p.m. deadline for teams to trim their rosters to 53. So the team actually was down to 52 players overnight.
But Jean-Gilles, even though he was technically a free agent and could have signed elsewhere, decided to return to the Eagles at the same salary. He said he was getting a tattoo of his initials on his forearm when his agent Drew Rosenhaus informed him of the situation.
"I was kind of shocked through the pain [from the tattoo]," Jean-Gilles said. "He called me at the same time and I was like, 'What was going on?' But it was OK."
The roster is now at the 53-man maximum.
The Eagles also signed five players, all of whom they cut a day ago, to their practice squad. They added defensive tackle Jeff Owens, wide receiver Chad Hall, center A.Q. Shipley, guard Dallas Reynolds and running back Martell Mallett. The Eagles still have three spots to fill.
Somewhat surprisingly, they did not bring back tight end Cornelius Ingram, who was also released Saturday.
