Eagles trade Andrews and White and cut 11 to finalize 2010 roster

The Eagles made their final cuts today, reducing their roster from 66 players down to the mandated 53. To get there, the Eagles cut 11 players and made a pair of trades, dealing guard Stacy Andrews to the Seahawks and linebacker Tracy White to the Patriots. Andrews, who was likely going to lose his starting spot to either Nick Cole or the newly acquired Reggie Wells, was dealt to Seattle for a late round pick in 2011. The Eagles were probably happy to get anything for Andrews, who has been a huge disappointment since being signed as a free agent before last season. As for White, the Eagles reportedly received a conditional 2012 draft pick from New England.

The Eagles also released the following 11 players:

S Quintin Demps
WR Chad Hall
S Macho Harris
TE Cornelius Ingram
DE Eric Moncur
WR Jordan Norwood
DT Jeff Owens
OL Dallas Reynolds
C A.Q. Shipley
OL Fenuki Tupou
WR Kelley Washington

Because the Stacy Andrews trade was not completed on time, the Eagles also cut Max-Jean Gilles but they expect to re-sign him again tomorrow.

The most surprising move was that the Eagles cut both Quintin Demps and Macho Harris, leaving them with only 3 safeties on the roster. I assumed that Demps was gone, given the move of Harris back to safety and the announcement that Ellis Hobbs was going to return kicks, but dropping Harris as well leaves them awfully thin. Perhaps the Eagles will scour the waiver wire for a safety that has been let go by another team.

None of the rest of the cuts are all that surprising, though WR Kelley Washington made a strong case to be kept around for his special teams play. Apparently the Eagles feel like Hank Baskett gives them enough on special teams to go with his strong knowledge of the offense.

The Eagles also cut the oft-injured Cornelius Ingram and chose to go with only 2 tight ends. Chances are the team will add a veteran blocking tight end sometime in the coming days to complement pass-catching tight ends Brent Celek and Clay Harbor. As for Ingram, look for the Eagles to stash him on the practice squad where he can try get healthy.

Rookie defensive tackle Jeff Owens was likely a tough cut for the Eagles to make. He played well all preseason but couldn't push Antonio Dixon off the roster. Owens is almost a lock to be added to the Eagles practice squad.

Also expected to be an option for the practice squad is Chad Hall, who both could be called upon should the Eagles return game need a spark at some point in the season.

The most surprising player to make the team was CB Jorrick Calvin, who was added in the last week in a trade from the Cardinals. Clearly, the Eagles see something they like in Calvin, who could be useful in the return game. Of course, he could also just be cut if the Eagles go out and sign a safety or a tight end.

Over the last few weeks, I have been making my own projections of the Eagles roster. Here is the Eagles actual roster, with changes from my final version in bold:

Offense:
QB(3): Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Mike Kafka

RB(3): LeSean McCoy, Mike Bell, Eldra Buckley

FB (1): Leonard Weaver

WR(5): DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Riley Cooper

TE(2): Brent Celek, Clay Harbor

LT(2): Jason Peters, Austin Howard

LG(2): Todd Herremans, Max Jean-Gilles

C(2): Jamaal Jackson, Mike McGlynn

RG(2): Nick Cole, Reggie Wells

RT(2): Winston Justice, King Dunlap

Defense:
DE(6): Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Juqua Parker, Darryl Tapp, Antwan Barnes, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

DT(4): Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws, Antonio Dixon

LB(7): Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims, Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither, Keenan Clayton, Moise Fokou, Jamar Chaney

CB(6): Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Trevard Lindley, Dimitri Patterson, Jorrick Calvin

FS(1): Nate Allen

SS(2): Quintin Mikell, Kurt Coleman

Special Teams:
K(1): David Akers

P(1): Sav Rocca

LS(1): Jon Dorenbos

Players on PUP list: DE Victor Abiamiri

Players on IR: DE Ricky Sapp, S Marlin Jackson, S Antoine Harris

Eagles acquire G Reggie Wells from Cardinals

With cuts coming tomorrow, the Eagles appear to still be tweaking their roster. In a trade with the Cardinals, the Eagles swapped a 6th round pick for offensive guard Reggie Wells. Wells, an 8 year NFL veteran, figures to slot in as a backup at either guard spot. Wells has been a solid player for the Cardinals over the last few years and has started in 90 straight games.

His acquisition likely means that someone unexpected from the offensive line is going to get cut from the final roster. Could Max-Jean Gilles be getting the axe? Adam Schefter also speculates that the Eagles could also try to deal Stacy Andrews, who clearly has been a disappointment since being signed before last season. If the Eagles do deal Andrews, that would likely put Nick Cole in the starting right guard spot.

Stacy Andrews won't start in Week 2 for the Eagles

What was supposed to be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL is quickly turning into a bunch of backups. Stacy Andrews, who was signed this offseason by the Eagles, will join fellow projected starting offensive linemen Shawn Andrews and Todd Herremans on the sidelines for the start of the Week 2 game against the Saints. Stacy Andrews is not completely out due to injury like brother Shawn and Herremans, though, instead, Stacy is simply not starting the game because he isn't "comfortable" with the Eagles blocking schemes. According to Brian Seltzer of ESPN 950, Andrews won't start but will still rotate into the game as he gets used to the Eagles system. Max Jean-Gilles will start in his place at right guard.

Thank goodness the Eagles have some of the best offensive line depth in the league. There isn't that much of a dropoff from Jean-Gilles to Andrews, especially with the way Andrews played in Week 1. It's still pretty sad when one of your top free agent pickups can't learn a system fast enough to start every game. Hopefully this is just a one week thing for Andrews and he can get himself back into playing capably.

So why are the Andrews brothers always involved in these kinds of strange stories?

Shawn Andrews: To play or not to play?

It seems that we have a difference in opinions on when Shawn Andrews will return to the Eagles.

Andrews, who hasn't participated in any preseason activities since the first day, thinks he will be ready for Week One. Andrews is back in Philadelphia after going out to the West Coast and getting his back examined, and he appears to be in good spirits and believes he will be able to suit up against the Panthers on September 13th.

The Eagles aren't so sure, with Coach Andy Reid's mindset being that Winston Justice will be the right tackle until further notice. Reid says he has "no idea" when Andrews will be ready so he has to just go with what he has, no matter how scary it might be to think that Justice is a starter.

While the much-maligned offensive line is starting to come together now that Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews have now returned to practice, Shawn Andrews and his ailing back are still a mystery. While it could be plausible for Shawn to be ready for the first week, should the Eagles rush to get him into the starting line-up? On the one hand, he is a former Pro Bowler, but on the other, how in-shape could he possibly be if he hasn't practiced for months?

We've been through all of this before with Shawn Andrews. Last season, he battled depression all preseason and was MIA for training camp, only to show up and play in the first game of the season, proving he can get ready quickly. Of course, Andrews subsequently got injured in Week Two and was out for the rest of the year, so the Eagles would be smart to avoid rushing him back. Another factor in this situation is the fact that he is changing positions from right guard to right tackle. If Andrews doesn't even practice at his new position, how is he supposed to have any clue what he's doing out there?

So, will he or won't he play? While having Winston Justice start along the Eagles offensive line is not the best situation, if it's only for a few weeks while Andrews gets up to speed, that might not be so bad. Of course, an even smarter move would be to start Stacy Andrews at right tackle and have Nick Cole play right guard until Shawn Andrews is ready; hopefully the Eagles have looked into that.

Coach Reid has the right idea in this situation. Shawn Andrews can't be counted on until he actually starts playing, so the team has to move ahead with plans assuming he won't be suiting up. One thing we have all learned is that you can't rely on Shawn Andrews at all. If he plays, great, if he doesn't, make sure you have a contingency plan in place.

Another one bites the dust: Eagles lose Todd Herremans for preseason

What would the last day in Lehigh be without another Eagles injury? On Wednesday, the last day of Eagles training camp, it was announced that yet another Eagle had suffered an injury: offensive lineman Todd Herremans has a stress fracture in his foot. Head coach Andy Reid speculated that the injury was likely a "four week injury", meaning that Herremans won't take the field again until the start of the regular season.

Many are saying that this injury isn't that big of a deal because, really, who cares about preseason games anyway? Personally, this injury worries me because it means that the projected starting offensive line will not all play together until the games start to matter. Cohesiveness counts most along an offensive line, the guys in the trenches need to know what the tendencies are of the person next to them and they need to trust each other. The preseason is a time to start building that trust, but with the way the line has been banged up throughout training camp, they have barely had any time together.

Herremans isn't the only projected starter along the line that is injured, either. Each of the Andrews brothers, Stacy and Shawn, were already ruled out for the first game of the preseason. Stacy is just being sat as a precaution, but no one knows when Shawn Andrews will be back. Again, this is good for the backups because they will get time to earn a roster spot, but it's terrible for a line that has the talent to be a top line in the league if they can just get on the field together.

According to Philly.com, the complete list of players who will not play in Thursday's game against the Patriots include: DE Victor Abiamiri, OL Shawn Andrews, OL Stacy Andrews, DE Trent Cole, OL Todd Herremans, QB Kevin Kolb, DT Trevor Laws, TE Matt Schobel and RB Brian Westbrook

At least training camp is over so now we don't have to worry about which Eagle will get hurt next. Of course, now there are meaningless preseason games to be played, so cross your fingers that no one else goes down. You can bet Andy Reid will take every precaution and have the starters on the field as little as possible.

Eagles sign Stacy Andrews

The Eagles have signed a former member of the Cincinnati Bengals, but probably not the one that most fans were hoping for. Offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, brother of Eagle Shawn Andrews, has signed with the Birds, pending a physical. Terms for the contract are not known at this point, but ProFootballTalk.com is saying he will get about 7 million per season in a multiyear deal.

Andrews is a right tackle so this could signify the end of Jon Runyan's tenure in Philly. He is only 27 and has a lot of upside if he can stay healthy. Apparently, passing his physical might not be a sure thing because he tore two ligaments in his knee in the final game of the season.

This signing could also help out the mental state of Shawn Andrews. Having his brother on the team might help him if he ever starts going in a funk again.

Overall, not a bad signing for the Birds. Andrews was the best tackle available in free agency and, if he stays healthy, he should be an impact player.