LeSean McCoy: DeMarco Murray not among the best

Breaking up is hard to do, but if you're LeSean McCoy, apparently it's impossible.

A whole six months has past since the Eagles dealt McCoy to the Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso, nowhere near long enough for the traded to keep taking shots at the traders.

In particular, his own replacement. Speaking with GQ magazine, McCoy took aim at new Eagles starting running back DeMarco Murray.

"I think Murray's good," he said. "But I don't see him as competition as far as the best backs. I like my game a lot."

The fact that McCoy likes anything about himself is hardly breaking news. Not seeing Murray as decent enough competition for him, however, raises the eyebrows. Murray, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL with 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, powering the Cowboys to a 12-win campaign and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.

McCoy also said Bills head coach Rex Ryan "lets you be a man," leaving wide open the silent implication that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly did not, which are strange words coming from the man who took and held Philadelphia's all-time rushing records under Kelly.

Kelly made the trade because he thought he could get better in his backfield. While that remains to be seen, the different style that Murray brings certainly sets up the possibility. Murray is a straight-ahead, north to south rusher, contrasting heavily with McCoy's style (picked up especially during his last season with the Eagles) of looking for the big play, scampering east to west, often resulting in short or lost yardage on plays.

LeSean McCoy will have his first chance to "be a man" when the Bills open their regular season against the Indianapolis Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday.

Rasheed Bailey shocked his Eagles career is over

Rasheed Bailey was somewhat of a long shot to make a splash at the wide receiver position in Philadelphia. Too much depth and too much talent, even on a squad that uses a lot of players in the rotation.

That didn't stop most people in the area from rooting for him to make the cut. A local product, out of Roxborough High and Delaware Valley, Bailey was one of those names everybody in the neighborhood was pulling for.

He finished with 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' preseason.

Then he was cut. It raised an eyebrow. Then he didn't make the practice squad. That raised the other one.

Including Bailey's.

"They loved who I was, what I did, everything about me," Bailey told the Philadelphia Daily News. "That's what's confusing. . . Whatever decision they came up with, it's not up to me. I'm not in the meeting rooms, I don't know what goes on in there. I just know that they liked what I did.

"I was liked by a lot of players. They were as shocked as I was. They would tell me [prior to the final cuts] to relax, that I'm good, that I'd made enough plays."

Not enough in Chip Kelly's eyes, apparently. The Eagles etched two receivers into their 10-man practice squad, Quron Pratt and Freddie Martino. For now, Bailey waits for the next chance to make his way into the NFL.

Eagles announce 10-man practice squad

Ten former roster hopefuls learned that they made the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad on Monday. All ten were eligible to make the squad after they cleared waivers at noon on Sunday. Nine of the ten players spent time with the Eagles this offseason.

The Eagles' 10-member practice squad:


RB Raheem Mostert
LB Deontae Skinner
OL Brett Boyko
TE Chris Pantale
CB Randall Evans
OL Malcolm Bunche
WR Quron Pratt
S Ed Reynolds
DE Brian Mihalik
WR Freddie Martino

Mostert, an undrafted rookie free agent, was the Eagles' most productive player from scrimmage in the exhibition season, but the abundance of skill in the backfield pushed him from the starting roster. He's certainly good enough to hang around, though.

Evans was a sixth-round selection in April, but failed to show much of anything this summer. Denzel Rice, who went undrafted by the team, made the squad ahead of Evans after a more productive showing in pass coverage, coming up with two interceptions.

A fifth-round pick in 2014, safety Ed Reynolds finds himself back on the practice team for a second straight year. Tackling troubles kept him one spot shy of the Sunday roster, but some depth concerns at the position could find him promoted if need be.

Wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and outside linebacker Diaheem Watkins did not make the team's practice squad. Bailey, a Philadelphia native and rookie from Delaware Valley, looked a promising talent who caught a touchdown pass in the Eagles' preseason finale.

Tebow just not good enough, Chip says

Chip Kelly did the NFL one better on Saturday, cutting the Eagles' roster to 52 rather than 53 men, the most high profile name to be spliced from the record being quarterback Tim Tebow.

Not that the Eagles will be going without a third quarterback. It'll just be anyone except Tebow.

"We're not done," he said. "We'll look and see what happens with the waiver wire and whether we add a quarterback to the active roster or to the practice squad, but we'll have a third quarterback in here."

Kelly said the Eagles don't have any particular addition in mind after dealing Matt Barkley to the Cardinals for a conditional pick next year and showing Tebow the door for free. Though the coach thought the latter had improved in many ways, it wasn't enough to make the cut.

Tebow had already spent two years away from the game before spending the offseason with quarterback guru Tom House. His throwing motion had improved, but his overall technique didn't match what Kelly had in mind.

"Tim's really progressed but we didn't feel like he was good enough to be the three right now," Kelly said. "He just needs to get out there and get more reps. He just needs to get more playing time. He needs to get out there and get actual reps. I think he's done a ton on his own from an individual basis, but it's about playing the game and taking the next step."

The thing is, there might not be another NFL team thinking of offering the path for the next step to be taken. Perhaps no coach or scheme was more suited to giving Tebow his best chance than Chip Kelly and his playbook. The fact that Kelly didn't see enough in him may convince other teams to think the same.

Eagles deal Matt Barkley to Arizona

Matt Barkley's time with the Philadelphia Eagles is over after the team swapped him for a conditional draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, according to FOX Sports.

Adam Schefter reported the Eagles will receive a seventh-round pick next year provided Barkley is on the Cardinals' roster for six games this season.

A fourth-round pick two years ago, Barkley did not play often for Philadelphia and was listed as the No. 3 quarterback behind starters Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. Barkley was outplayed by Tim Tebow in the Eagles' exhibition finale on Thursday night, losing what was staged as the definitive competition between the two.

The Cardinals, though, saw enough in the former USC signal caller after seeing their own season fall apart after injuries to starter Carson Palmer and his backup Drew Stanton. Meanwhile, the Eagles receive the opportunity to cash in on what appears to be a failed pick in Barkley, who offered them first little, then nothing.

Tebow likely wins roster spot Thursday night

The fourth exhibition game is mostly about sitting starters and giving those fringe guys one last major audition before teams make their decisions on their 53 man roster. 

Facing the Jets on Thursday night in their exhibition finale, the Eagles had one very important contest still to judge: their third-string quarterback.

Judging by the efforts put forth by Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow, it wasn't even close.

Tebow threw two touchdowns and an interception and Barkley threw just the interception as the two alternated quarters.

"I think I'm getting more and more comfortable," Tebow said afterwards, via Reuben Frank of CSN Philadelphia. "More and more comfortable with the offense. Getting into more of a rhythm, especially on first down, kind of getting things going, getting the first down, which is big in this offense, and trying to get it rolling a little bit."

Tebow got it rolling on two scoring drives, dropping an 18 yard bomb in Rasheed Bailey's lap and driving left, firing a dart for Freddie Martino along the sideline. He went 11-of-17 for 189 yards, showing some mobility inside and out of the pocket, and carried four times for 32 more yards in an overall positive effort.

With his future in the NFL on the line after two years away, the former Heisman winner said he wasn't going to worry about the decision that will change his future this season.

"That's not up to me," he said. "I just try to go out there and do what I'm coached and try to improve every day and compete.

"I've said this a lot of times to you guys and I really genuinely mean it: I'm not going to worry about what I can't control. It's a blessing being able to come out here and play the game I love. It was a lot of fun out there tonight. I had a blast."

Not so much for the presumed No. 3 on the Eagles' roster, Matt Barkley. He's looked off for most of the preseason, and threw an interception on his second play from scrimmage, finishing with 45 yards on 4-of-9 passing.

"I don't know if tonight was the deciding factor," Barkley said. "We'll see if that's what it comes down to, but over the course of this camp I've shown that I can play quarterback for this team. 

"Over the course of this whole camp, through training camp, practices and preseason, I think it's hard to really say [a decision will be made] out of those preseason games because it's really a small sampling and what I have shown through practices I think I've done a good job and improved in a lot of areas. I'm happy with how I've played throughout camp."

Should he be? Barkley threw seven interceptions during the Eagles' training camp and exhibition this summer. The rest of the roster threw only five between three men. Should Barkley be cut, he would likely find a job somewhere else, but after what he did when it counted the most for him, that job might not be in Philadelphia.

Barkley looks more the "camp arm" Mark Sanchez once thought Tim Tebow was.

Barkley not making his case vs the Jets

The NFL preseason finale is good for one thing and one thing only: trying to judge who will be around when the season starts and who won't.

Judging by the first half of play in New Jersey on Thursday evening, Matt Barkley may find himself in the latter category when the Eagles craft their final 53 man roster.

That other guy, he just might make it after all.

Barkley's second pass attempt was intercepted and Matt Flynn authored two touchdown drives as the Jets lead the Eagles 17-12 following the first half of business in both team's last go-round before it counts in a week's time.

The major theme of the contest through its first thirty minutes was the inability of the Eagles' pass defense to contain both sides of the field effectively.

Flynn, the presumed No. 2 behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, took the Jets (2-1) down the remaining 54 yards over five minutes following Barkley's mistake, connecting with Chris Owusu for an 18 yard touchdown for the game's first points.

Barkley failed to sustain any possession when given a second chance, so Flynn led New York over 90 yards, connecting with Walt Powell for a 28 yard gain and Owusu on an 18 yard play before dumping off to Zac Stacy for the remaining five yards through a vacant midfield defense.

Tim Tebow would lead the Eagles' two-minute offense over 78 yards to close out the first half, finding Rasheed Bailey for an 18 yard touchdown with 23 seconds left.

New York receiver Walt Powell collected another 21 yard catch and run after the Eagles left the right side of their defense open and Zac Stacy added another 25 yarder on a well-designed screen play on a field goal drive late.

Flynn wasn't perfect on the night, eventually handing the Eagles their next three points after being victimized by Jaylen Watkins' interception at the Jets 4. But Philadelphia (3-0) wasn't to cross the goal line from even that far and Kip Smith kicked a second time.

Jason Kelce: Athleticism marks Eagles' front line

The driving force behind the Eagles' top-five offense these last two seasons has been the play of their offensive line . 

Ball carriers get the ball because of good quarterback play, but quarterbacks get good in large part because of their protection.

Strength obviously plays a part, but the style and pace of Chip Kelly's play-calling relies on another important element: athleticism.

"That's the makeup of our offensive line," Eagles center Jason Kelce said. "They're all athletic guys who can block and run. Second level, do screens, do things out in space. That's something that separates our offensive line from other offensive lines."

That spirit Kelce defines was on display in Philadelphia's exhibition victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford was able to make his reads consistently as defenders were largely held at a distance. He would go a perfect 10-of-10 for three touchdowns on the evening.

"Any time the quarterback's getting the ball out quickly it's easy for an offensive line," Kelce said. "Depending on the way the defense is playing, sometimes you have to hold onto it a little bit longer, but on Saturday the ball was out really quickly all the time. It's easy to pass block in those situations."

The Eagles' front is anchored by Kelce in the middle and on both sides by Jason Peters (to the left) and Lane Johnson (to the right). The guard positions are still in question, the left less so with Allen Barbre taking the post since Evan Mathis failed to show at voluntary minicamps this spring. Andrew Gardner and Matt Tobin are the favorites to take the spot between Kelce and Johnson.

Slowly but surely, things are starting to come together.

"It's gotten better and better," Kelce said of their chemistry. "It will continue to get better and better throughout the season, but it's certainly not a problem right now."

"It's preseason, dude," says neglected Riley Cooper

According to the official tally, Riley Cooper hasn't been targeted once in three preseason games for the Philadelphia Eagles. Not that the 27-year-old wide receiver is worried about it.

"Honestly, I never even thought about this until you all brought it to my attention," Cooper said on Monday.

"I mean, it's preseason, dude."

That, it is. But his continued absence from the roll call when the Eagles take the field could not be described as a new phenomenon. He finished last season with only 55 receptions for 577 yards and three touchdowns, that after putting his name to a $25 million extension over four years following a production 2013 in which he snagged eight scores on more than 800 yards. 

There is, of course, the possibility that a sixth-year veteran wouldn't be too heavily involved in preseason games to begin with.

"I'm not worried about it, to answer everyone's question," Cooper said. "I'm super excited about this upcoming season. I will not have any targets [in the final exhibition] game, I will not play."

Someone else who isn't too worried is head coach Chip Kelly.

"I just think it's the way it's gone when he's been out there," Kelly said. "We haven't scripted or game planned for any of our first three opponents. We're just calling plays and however they express themselves, they express themselves."

Cooper has had little chance to express himself, sidelined somewhat this summer with a finger injury and also what he calls a groin problem, but neither are anything serious.

"I'm ready to rock and roll," he said. "I'm feeling great."

Former LB: RG3 would succeed with Chip Kelly

No, Chip Kelly will not consider bringing Robert Griffin III to Philadelphia should the former starting quarterback find himself out of a job in Washington.

But if he did, and he won't, one former Redskins player thinks he would thrive.

"In the right system, I think he could [have success]," former linebacker London Fletcher said on 106.7 FM (Washington). 

"If he got with Chip Kelly, if he got -- Miami does some things, like the Chip Kelly offense. Or even if he goes to a place where the pressure is not -- where you have to come in here and be the guy right away.

"I think he'll have a great second half of his career."

Called "Eagles South" by some, the Miami Dolphins run some of the same formations and offensive packages as Chip Kelly's gang, learned, no doubt, by their current offensive coordinator, former Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor.

But the import of Griffin into Miami might derail the very expensive plans they seem to have for current starter Ryan Tannehill, wouldn't they?

"I didn't say he was coming in to start right away," Fletcher said. "I said to continue to -- the pressure is not there. Just let him develop, he'll learn. He'll continue to develop as a quarterback, get better pocket awareness, better footwork. He's gonna have a great second career, I believe that. He's too talented. He's too talented of a guy."

Correction: Griffin was a talented guy in college. And Fletcher's insistence that all Griffin needs is more time to develop away from pressure? Those words fall on titillated ears. Apparently those three seasons he's been given the franchise on a silver platter by its naive and clueless owner, and administered by grumbling and morose coaches who knew better, haven't been enough.

Pocket awareness and footwork are not things that Griffin is going to learn in Washington, at least not after his job was taken from him by what head coach Jay Gruden said was better play overall. 

If your job is taken by Kirk Cousins after three years, you're through developing.

Marcus Smith unconcerned about possible cut

Marcus Smith was the Eagles' 26th overall pick last year, but he's barely shown himself to be worthy of that selection during his brief stint with the club.

With the 53 man roster mandate looming, it wouldn't exactly break the news if Chip Kelly slates Smith as one of the sacrifices to come to meet that number. 

After failing to tally a single tackle in his rookie season, he made some decent progress in OTAs and camp, though played in only one of the Eagles' preseason games, notching one tackle against the Colts before a right hamstring injury sidelined him.

So there hasn't much of a body of work for Kelly to go on. But with a deadline looming, the former G.M. Howie Roseman's selection doesn't think his career in Philadelphia is in danger.

"There's no nervousness at all," he said at his locker on Tuesday.

Smith said he isn't thinking in terms of the quantity of his play, but quality.

"I don't think it's the fact that I'm showing the coaches enough," he said. "I think it's a matter of showing the coaches I know exactly what I'm doing so when I come back they can just put me back in there and not mess anything up."

The most likely result for Smith is that he makes the team. The Eagles need some depth at the linebacker position overall and the second-year player may have shown enough  improvement over the summer to convince coaches to keep him around another year to make his mark. But if he doesn't make a pronounced step this season, it will be his last.

"I've got my teammates around me, it's an uplifting spirit, and I'll be ready to go sooner or later," he said.

Eagles get down to 75 players

Villanova running back Kevin Monangai was one of the players whose career ended with the Eagles on Tuesday, as the club gets their roster down to the mandatory 75 players.

Signed in August, Monangai had little chance to make the team with the abundance of talent that existed in the backfield before his arrival. 

In the free agency period, Philadelphia signed DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to carry ahead of Darren Sproles. Kenjon Barner and Raheem Mostert are also on the positional depth chart, both of whom played well in their exhibition season.

Monangai rushed for 126 yards and touchdown over 21 rushes in three appearances in his first professional opportunity after leading Villanova last season with 12 touchdowns on over 1,000 yards. 

The Eagles also put away two of their promising rookies to make room for a pair of spots on their roster, waiving rookie linebacker Emmanuel Acho for injury designation after he hurt this thumb and adding rookie cornerback JaCorey Shepherd to the injured reserve list.

Philadelphia officially cut 12 players on Tuesday:

Offense
RB Kevin Monangai
WR G.J. Kinne
WR Mike Johnson
WR Josh Reese
TE Justin Tukes
C Mike Coccia
OG Jared Wheeler
OT Kevin Graf

Defense
DE Alfy Hill
DE Jeremy Towns
OLB Dasman McCullum
CB Marc Anthony
S Brandon Bishop

Eagles looking at talented backfield

Alternating players in and out of drives is a staple of what Chip Kelly wants to do on offense. His well-known pace of play lends itself to that plan almost by necessity. 

The more players there are, so are there more styles of play to defend, and more plays to be called.

And with the Philadelphia Eagles' newfound concentration on the rush game this coming season, that meant procuring more rushers. The team signed DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, and kept runner/pass-catcher Darren Sproles as the No. 3.

Murray, the presumed starter and main ball carrier, was asked how often the rushing rotation would take place. Between drives? In the middle of drives?

"I don't think it will be alternating series," Murray said, via CSN Philadelphia. "But [Mathews] is a quality back, great guy, works extremely hard. I'm sure he'll get his fair share of touches. But I don't know how the rotation will be yet, we haven't touched on it."

Both he and Mathews received first-team carries on the Eagles' primary scoring drive against Baltimore last Saturday, and both scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions. That, Murray said, was more to get both backs some early playing time, but their game this weekend at Green Bay may paint a more precise picture of what is to come in the fall.

"I think we're approaching it like a regular game," Murray said. "You can't go out there with a preseason mindset. We're focused, whether it's playing one snap or 40 snaps."

Thus far, it's been closer to one than 40 in the exhibition campaign. And it may be part of the prescription when the regular season begins. Murray rushed the ball 392 times last season, a workload that may have Chip Kelly playing it easier than perhaps either would like in 2015. 

The presence of Ryan Mathews will help that cause a great deal, and it seemed to be part of the scheme the whole time.

"Our plan all along was to get another running back with him [Murray]," Kelly said of the pairing. "I wanted to have two running backs, and that's why we got Ryan."

Murray led the NFL not only in yards and touchdowns with Dallas last season, but also in yards after contact. That power, combined with the talent on the left side of the Eagles' offensive line could spell a repeat of that dominance on the ground.

Eagles face stiffer test at Packers

When the Eagles take to Lambeau Field to face the Packers in their third exhibition game on Saturday, one couldn't blame them for having a bad case of deja vu. 

Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions and LeSean McCoy was held to under 100 yards rushing as Green Bay discarded Philadelphia, 53-20, that day in November.

With replacements under and behind center having been added this offseason in the form of Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, and Ryan Mathews, a greater focus has been placed on those matchups.

But the biggest test in Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's eyes will be between his rejuvenated secondary against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played their harp last year for 341 yards and three scores, but cornerbacks (and victims) Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams were swapped this offseason for Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, both of whom had an interception in Philadelphia's victory over Baltimore last week.

"I hope Aaron plays a lot because I'm really excited to see our guys go up against them," Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. "We took a pretty good beating last year down there, and we're excited about the challenge. We love competing against the best, like Aaron is, and they've got some quality receivers that hopefully they can play that first half and we can really get a good test of where we are."

Packers receiver Jordy Nelson brought down a touchdown in their matchup last season on four catches for 109 yards, but will be out this entire season after tearing his ACL in Green Bay's game at Pittsburgh last weekend.

But his deputy remains. Slot receiver Randall Cobb caught 10 passes for 129 yards last November. Who the Eagles line up against Cobb is one of the questions they still face after trading nickel corner Brandon Boykin and losing Earl Wolff to a knee injury.

"We're really looking to see who we want our starting nickel to be," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "It's going to be a good test for them. [Cobb is] one of the best slot receivers in the league right now. Obviously, with the quarterback he has, he's going to get a lot of targets."

Eagles safety sides with Terrell Suggs

Terrell Suggs was called for roughing the passer when he tackled Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford during Saturday's exhibition game in Philadelphia. 

He was called for roughing the passer on that play, though the NFL's head of officiating publicly declared that the call was incorrect on Monday morning before a national television audience.

It being a zone-read play, he said, the quarterback is presumed a potential rusher, so is not due the special protection a passer otherwise would be. It's a line of reasoning Eagles coach Chip Kelly didn't care for, saying the play call was a regular shotgun handoff with no option.

Not so fast, says Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins.

"If I take myself out of an Eagles uniform, I'd probably do the same thing [that Suggs did]," he said.

Not that he would go for a man's knees or make any other dirty play, but that he would attack the quarterback running an offense with a reputation for the zone-read, as is Kelly's.

"It is a zone-read run," Jenkins insisted, against his head coach's declaration. "Well of course, according to the head coach. I'm just saying, as a defender, if I was gameplanning for the Eagles, I probably wouldn't go low for the quarterback, but that's where there's a little bit of discretion from a player's standpoint of where you hit somebody.

"But if somebody's running a zone-read [usually] and I want to scare them out of it, I'm gonna hit the quarterback."

All points which Sam Bradford himself might agree with, but he and left tackle Jason Peters both insisted that night and the day after that the intent of the play, going for Bradford's knees, was dirty.

Kelly said his team doesn't run the zone-read option offense as much as is thought, and any perception that they do may be the driving force behind calls made and calls interpreted in the future. He also noted that it could be a problem this season if referees are assuming that any handoff in the shotgun formation is thought to be a zone-read play when it need not be. 

That, he fears, could result in more hits on his fragile quarterback that officials think are legal when they aren't.

John Harbaugh defends Terrell Suggs

After the NFL vindicated Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs in his below-the-belt tackle of Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford the other day, his head coach decided to defend him publicly. 

Suggs appeared to go for Bradford's surgically-repaired knee in Saturday's exhibition game in Philadelphia and was called for roughing the passer on the play, but Dean Blandino, the NFL's Head of Officiating said on Monday that the call was incorrect. 

Bradford, he said, should not be given special protection on what was presumed a zone-read play, where the passer can be presumed a potential rusher.

Which inspired Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to correct what he felt were improper comments made about his player that night.

"When you start popping off about somebody's character, you cross the line," Harbaugh said. "That's not really something that we would respect. But most of their guys over there understood the play and understood [Suggs] was playing hard and trying to get stops."

Bradford and Eagles left tackle Jason Peters had taken the opportunity after the game to malign the intent behind Suggs' hit, the latter saying he thought Suggs was a "dirty" player and that he was "pretty sure" he went for Bradford's knees on purpose.

While the roughing call was technically incorrect, as Bradford was not in a "passing posture" during the play, an unnecessary roughness penalty seemed to be in order.

Eagles extend LB Kendricks

We can put to rest those rumors that abounded in the offseason about the Eagles trading away linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

Philadelphia offered and Kendricks accepted an agreement on a four-year extension to keep one of the team's best defensive players on the roster through the 2019 regular season.

Head coach Chip Kelly did his best to deny those rumors about a potential Kendricks trade this winter and spring, reiterating all along the value he thought the linebacker brought to his system, and on Monday the team confirmed those feeling in dollars.

The deal is worth $29 million all told, according to FOX Sports, with $16 million guaranteed.

He was, after all, one of the few players Kelly inherited when he joined the team who still have a job.

Kendricks tallied 264 tackles, three interceptions, and five forced fumbles during his three year professional career, all with the Eagles. Last season he collected 108 tackles in 12 games, the second most on the team after safety Malcolm Jenkins.

With the signing, the Eagles gained a prominent standing at the inside linebacking position. The team acquired Kiko Alonso this offseason in a trade with Buffalo, and retain veteran DeMeco Ryans alonside Kendricks to key one of the elite front sevens in the NFL.

Chip Kelly sings Rasheed Bailey's praises

There's a special kind of enthusiasm that comes with playing for your hometown team. Even if his chances of making the final roster are nearly nonexistent, wide receiver Rasheed Bailey is doing his best to make the Eagles notice him.

"My attitude from Day 1 was not to expect anything," the Roxborough High (Pa.) product said. "You've got to come in here and you've got to work hard every single day to be what you want to be."

The deficit between what he wants to be and what he'll likely end up as may have gotten smaller after a solid performance in training camp and the Eagles' two preseason games.

It's safe to say he's learned something.

"The OTAs definitely helped me," Bailey said. "Being around Jordan Matthews, I can't stress his name enough. I've spent a lot of time with him just learning. Learning the play signals and just learning and learning and learning."

He snagged an 18 yard reception from Tim Tebow in his first contest, playing entirely from the slot position, and his after-the-catch yardage is something that will endear him to Chip Kelly's way of thinking.

"I thought coming in here that it may be a little bit too big for him just because, [he was] coming from Delaware Valley, he's kind of handled everything really well," Kelly said. "First game in the Linc or first two games in the Linc, I thought he's shown up in both games. He works extremely hard at it, has a great work ethic. We knew that. But then what you don't know when you have players like that is, is the game going to be too big for him? But he has the skillset to play, and I think he's shown us that."

Kelly will probably keep six receivers on the 53-man roster (Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff, Riley Cooper, Miles Austin, and Seyi Ajirotutu). The most likely destination, then, for Bailey is the practice squad, a place from which he'll seek to gain experience in the place he says the game is played the most: the head.

"In this league, the game is 90 percent mental," he said. "The way you play this game, you have to be smart. Being in the room with Miles Austin, that guy is smart. And if I can learn from him and other older players how they about things, it's going to be a beautiful thing."

Tim Tebow so-so on Saturday

There was a loud, almost frenetic, chorus of screams and yelps emerging from south Philadelphia around half past nine on Saturday night.

Tim Tebow had to be involved.

Playing into the fourth quarter of a contest the Eagles led a more or less hapless Baltimore squad 30-7, the No. 4 signal caller and quasi-deity sat under center to resume what was a decent showing the previous weekend. He rushed for a touchdown and went 6-for-12 to the delight of his head coach.

It didn’t start quite so miraculously the second time. He was sacked on his first snap, though it was called back on a defensive penalty and his handoff to reserve back Kevin Monangai didn’t last long. Curling around left end, the rookie from Villanova fumbled.

Tebow would return and lead a drive nearing the end of the game, rushing for what was but for a moment a 4 yard touchdown. A review would overturn that feat, but even had they not, it would have been a mistake.

Rolling left, Tebow had reserve receiver patrolling the back of the end zone, first somewhat open, then open, then very open. Still, he took off and thought better of the rushing option, with inches to spare along the pylon and three Ravens defensive backs on duty, waiting to nab him. That he took the latter option shows poor decision making.

Tebow lost the battle on Saturday between he and No. 3 Matt Barkley, going 2-of-5 for 12 yards. Barkley looked better than his poor outing last Sunday, completing 6-of-14 for 86 yards and no turnovers.

So, Chip Kelly has a decision to make. Now that Barkley has seemingly settled himself on the field after an impressive summer camp, do the Eagles hear trade offers for him and keep Tebow, or hang on to a reliable third-option and discard the talented player with the unique (and rare) skills?

As long as Tebow is remotely an option to make an NFL roster, there will be two insatiable camps on either side of him: those who irrationally believe he can make any play imaginable, and those who irrationally think he cannot make any play imaginable.

Whichever decision the Eagles make, they’ll have one of those rabid sides to deal with.

Eagles rushing game taking shape

Chip Kelly took quite the gamble this offseason when he swapped LeSean McCoy for DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to key the Eagles' backfield. 

On Saturday night, it looked like his gamble paid off. That is, depending on how half a quarter in the preseason matches up to a preview of coming attractions.

Murray and Mathews both rushed for touchdowns as Philadelphia dunked Baltimore, 40-17, in each squad's second exhibition contest.

"I thought they hit it," Kelly said after the game. "You watched those guys, they hit it and came out the other side a couple times. Ryan's touchdown, J.P. [left tackle Jason Peters] and [tight end Brent] Celek did a great job on the back side, but that ball got to the secondary. He didn't get touched."

Mathews carried for a 14 yard touchdown through center field, rendered a desert for defenders after Peters, Celek, and left guard Allen Barbre held off a powerful rush to the left side. The No. 2 back was untouched has he galloped for the 7-0 lead. Philadelphia wouldn't look back.

Of the 19 plays the first-team ran, 14 of them involved one of the Eagles' three backs. Their first two drives resulted in touchdowns, begun by the Eagles' new secondary additions securing two interceptions off Joe Flacco. 

"It's going to be hard for teams to focus on just one running back," DeMarco Murray said. "I think it's going to be good that we're all fresh going in and out of the game."

That was the thinking behind the signings this winter. After relying on one primary back for most of his career, Kelly said as part of his greater focus on the run game this season, he was going to built a committee of rushers. He hopes the plan will cut down on potential injuries (Murray touched the ball almost 500 times last season) and give opposing defenses a diversity of looks and formations to prepare for.

Murray is the straight-ahead pounder, Darren Sproles the wild-card who can skip and spin out of tackles on a lark, and Mathews is the in-betweener. He can do a little of both. On Saturday, they all lived up to their reputations.

"DeMarco showed a little pop today," Kelly said. "You watched him come out the other side."

He squirted through the middle on a 2-yard score on the Eagles' second drive. The success of the first-teamers ensured their early exit. That's when their running back depth showed itself.

Kenjon Barner carried four times for 15 yards, Raheem Mostert had 54 yards on 10 rushes, and Kevin Monangai, the rookie from Villanova, had 87 yards on 10 attempts. Barner added a 64 yard punt return touchdown, seven days after returning a Colts kick 93 yards to the house. Kelly spoke highly of his former recruit to Oregon, who may carved his name into the roster with his performance thus far.

Other teams might have trouble including that number of tailbacks in any capacity, or even half that many, but the high number of plays Chip Kelly wants to call every game could give more opportunities to the committee he's trying to build behind Sam Bradford.