Parker will miss his second game with a hip flexor.


The Eagles' final injury report of the week came out Wednesday morning, and in total it includes seven players: Jorrick Calvin (back), Nick Cole (knee), Trevard Lindley (knee), and LeSean McCoy (shoulder) are all probable to play. Riley Cooper (knee) and Asante Samuel (knee) are questionable, and Juqua Parker (hip) has been ruled out.

So far this season, every player listed as probable has played. So there's no reason to worry about Calvin, Cole, Lindley or, most importantly, McCoy. They will all be suited up and good to go.

Parker, as we expected after not practicing all week, is out. But Cooper, who also did not practice all week, is only questionable. He's not expected to play, but it's looking like he will be a game-time decision.

Samuel is the key here. He practiced all week on a limited basis and, although he's listed as questionable, he does expect to play. The "questionable" listing means that, like Cooper, Samuel will be a game-time decision.

With Parker out, Brandon Graham will make his second consecutive start and his fifth of the season. Graham had a decent game against the Chicago Bears as he pulled Jay Cutler down once, but he's going to have to get pressure much more consistently if the defense is going to slow down the Houston Texans' passing offense.

If Cooper cannot go, head coach Andy Reid has already said that Chad Hall will get the nod. Hall has been active for a couple games this season while guys were banged up, and he's lined up at receiver and running back. Hall can also return punts in a pinch, so having him on the field gives Reid flexibility in a lot of different areas.

If Samuel winds up missing his second game, we will once again see Joselio Hanson. Hanson got abused by the Bears receiving corps, so seeing him lined up against the much bigger Kevin Walter or Andre Johnson is enough to give Eagles fans nightmares.

Hopefully Samuel is ready to go and Hanson can take back his natural spot in the slot. With Samuel and Dimitri Patterson on the outside and Hanson in the nickel, they should at least be able to contain Walter, Johnson, and Matt Schaub.

The Eagles play the Texans Thursday night on NFL Network at 8:20PMEST.
Continue Reading...

Chad Hall is set to see action in his first NFL game.


On Saturday, the Eagles released defensive end Antwan Barnes (whom they traded for before the season) in order to sign wide receiver Chad Hall from the practice squad. Barnes hadn't been active for the past two games, but it's believed the move was made so late in the week because Andy Reid would like to re-sign Barnes and put Hall back on the practice squad.

It sounds great in theory, but Reid and the Eagles are playing with fire.

There's still a possibility that a team could snag Barnes off the waiver wire (to which he's subject because he has less than four seasons accrued), and that would obviously end their plan in absolute failure. It would also mean they gave up a seventh-round pick for absolutely nothing.

If no one puts in a claim on Barnes, the Birds will have to cut Hall in order to sign him again. Hall would then be subject to the waiver wire and, if he shows anything against the 49ers, might not make it through waivers.

Again, that would mean failure for Reid's ultimate plan.

But let's say everything works and Barnes is back on the active roster and Hall is signed and stowed away on the practice squad. Now the problem is that all the other teams have game-day film on Hall. It only takes one team seeing one thing they like to sign him off the practice squad and the Eagles' little project receiver is gone for good.

So, either way, it's looking like one of these guys has a real chance of getting snagged out from underneath the Birds' collective nose.

If I'm the Washington Redskins, for instance, I would snag Barnes off the wire in a heartbeat. He played outside linebacker in the Baltimore Ravens' 3-4 scheme, so he could immediately help them there, and it could be their way of stiffing the Eagles.

Mike Shanahan is a veteran coach who knows all the tricks and I'm betting he's at least mulling the idea around.

What the team should have done is found a veteran on the roster who would be willing to sit this game out and sign on Monday morning. That way they don't have to worry about a team snagging him off the waiver wire and only have to worry about said player going back on his word Trevor Pryce style.

The unavoidable flaw in all of this is that Hall could get snagged up either way, but it would seem to make more sense to put themselves in a position to lose only Hall, rather than run the risk of losing Barnes as well.

I'm not sure what is going on in Reid's head this season, but he needs to get it straightened out before he digs this team into a hole from which it cannot escape.
Continue Reading...

Hall should be a candidate for the practice squad.


It's not exactly unexpected, but it certainly is a bit of a downer to hear that Chad Hall has already been released by the Eagles.

Per Adam Caplan via Twitter: "Eagles waived PR/WR/RB Chad Hall, source said."

Pretty cut and dry. Hall, as expected, is gone. The move means Hall will go through waivers, giving the other 31 teams a chance to snag him if they so choose. Should no one claim him, it's likely he'll be offered a spot on the practice squad.

Hall wasn't spectacular during the preseason, but he brings more value and versatility than Dobson Collins or Jordan Norwood. Both Collins and Norwood seem to have hands of stone and, while they were both used as gunners at different points on special teams, neither made a play to speak of.

With Hall gone, the team is back down to 65 players and still have 12 guys to cut. As of right now, they've got just a little over three hours to make their final decisions.

So, after four or five more trades, a couple young guys getting tossed to the IR with a hangnail, and a few cuts we'll have the Birds roster and the group of guys we'll all be counting on to pull out a miracle against a heavily-favored Green Bay Packers team in only eight days.

Continue Reading...

Could Harris go from starter to cut in only one year?


The first roster cut-downs came and went without any surprises, but the final cut-down is definitely going to feature a few surprise cuts. Some fan favorites will have to be let go for the good of the team, and some moves will have fans scratching their head until it bleeds.

Outside of the starters, there are a few backups with solidified spots such as Juqua Parker, Riley Cooper, Nick Cole, and others. But there are also plenty of guys who will be fighting until the very end just to remain employed.

All of these guys will have a chance to shine in the fourth and final preseason game as the starters likely won't see the field, so they'll all have an opportunity to change the minds of Andy Reid and Howie Roseman -- for better or worse.

Let's take a look at the fate of some select bubble players as it stands so far through three preseason games.



Charles Scott, RB - Out

After a move to fullback, things became very shaky for a guy who came into camp as a fan favorite. But as I said when the Eagles drafted Scott, he just doesn't seem to fit Reid's offensive scheme at all. There's no way the Birds keep two fullbacks, and Scott just isn't a viable option at running back at this point.



Martell Mallett, RB - Out

Mallett has shown a lot in the preseason. He's a quick, shifty guy who seems to fit what Reid looks for in a running back, but he has come up short on special teams. And if Reid is going to keep a third running back, he had better be able to play special teams.



J.J. Arrington, RB - Out

Joe Mays was sent to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Arrington and, so far, the move has not exactly panned out for Philly. But, even if Arrington gets cut, the Broncos will still have to give up a sixth-round pick in next year's draft.



Eldra Buckley, RB - In

If the other three are out, then Buckley is obviously in. He's shown he's a good north and south runner and is a guy the team cannot afford to lose due to his ability to play special teams. If Bobby April has any say in the final roster at all, Buckley is already a lock.



Hank Baskett, WR - Out

DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Kelley Washington, and Riley Cooper all seem like locks to make the team and make up the receiving corps. Baskett has seen little time in the preseason and isn't a good enough special teams player to warrant making room for him, especially with an ace like Washington on the roster.



Chad Hall, WR - Out

This is a damn shame, but there's just no room and he has not shown enough as a receiver to keep him around. With every punt return I was rooting for Hall to somehow find the endzone, but his efforts were lackluster at best. Hopefully another team finds a spot for him somewhere because it would be nice to see a good guy like Hall get a break.



Jeff Owens, DT - Out

With Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, and Antonio Dixon all looking like locks before Training Camp even started, there was only one spot at defensive tackle left. And now, with Trevor Laws' emergence during the offseason, all the spots are gone. Owens could be a prime candidate for the practice squad, however.



Dimitri Patterson, CB - In

With the way he plays, it's not difficult to root for Patterson. He's a hard-nosed guy who is clearly just doing everything and anything he can to make the roster. He's pushed a few guys off to the side with his impressive play, and will likely be the fifth corner.



Macho Harris, CB/S - Out

When guys start getting moved all around to different positions, it usually means bad things for the aforementioned player. Harris spent all of his rookie season as a safety, and then was moved to corner during the offseason, and is now being moved back to safety. That says the team doesn't like what they've seen so far, and Harris could go from starter to cut in one year.



Moise Fokou, OLB - Out

It's a true sign of the times when Harris and Fokou -- both starters at certain points in the 2009 season -- find themselves looking for work only one season later. Like Harris, Fokou has been moved around (from linebacker to defensive end) and has seen limited snaps in the preseason.



Jamar Chaney, OLB - In

Chaney has shown a quickness and tackling ability that cannot be ignored. He's not only a viable option as a backup, but has looked good playing special teams as well. Cutting Chaney would simply be too hard to justify as he's clearly outperformed Fokou.



Kurt Coleman, SS - In

Like Chaney, Coleman has made a mark on special teams. Combine that with the way he's been able to pick up the defense and the Birds have their second seventh-round rookie on the roster.
Continue Reading...