No Asante for the Eagles against the Cowboys

Bad news for the Eagles defense: Asante Samuel will once again be on the sidelines. The Eagles have confirmed today that both Samuel and Winston Justice will not be making the trip to Dallas with the team, which means they won't be suiting up on Sunday.

While all the talk during the week was that Samuel didn't need practice to play, clearly his knee just isn't strong enough to let him be effective. Given how terrible the Eagles secondary has looked in recent weeks without Samuel, expect a shootout in Dallas.

Eagles extend Winston Justice through 2013

Offensive tackle Winston Justice has come a long way since getting worked by Osi Umenyiora of the Giants back in 2007. He's improved so much, in fact, that the Eagles have signed him to a four year contract extension through 2013.

Justice was set to be a free agent after this season so the Birds were smart to lock him down. While he isn't an elite level right tackle, Justice has proven himself to be solid in 10 starts this season. With all the chaos happening around him on the line from the Andrews brothers drama to the injuries to Todd Herremans, Justice has been an anchor of consistency. He should be a good, but not great, player for the duration of his contract.

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.

Eagles won't use franchise tag, are shopping Justice

With free agency just around the corner, the Eagles are making their final adjustments as they prepare to, hopefully, solidify their offense this offseason.

One move the Eagles won't make is they won't use their franchise tag on any of their possible free agents. This move was expected since the Birds don't really have anyone that they would want to retain for the high price of a franchised player. With both offensive tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan set to be free agents, there was some thought the Eagles might use the tag on Thomas. That would ensure that the Eagles wouldn't have to completely rebuild their offensive line but the Eagles must not want to pay the 34 year old lineman top dollar. L.J. Smith was franchised last season and was a waste of a contract; the Eagles smartly did not franchise him again.

Another player likely on his way out of town is offensive lineman Winston Justice. Justice, a former second round pick, has been a disappointment for the Eagles and had never rebounded from the pounding he took against the Giants two years ago. According to the Daily News, the Birds are ready to move Justice and have put him on the trading block. I'm not sure what they will get for a backup offensive lineman who has shown nothing in his limited playing time but it can't hurt to see who might want him.