Danny Watkins has been benched as the Eagles’ starting right guard. The 2011 first-round pick has struggled for most of the preseason and will be replaced by Kyle Devan, who was just awarded to the Eagles on waivers on Sunday.

The Eagles will insist that they are comfortable with DeVan and that they are simply giving Watkins some more time to grow and develop. But as a fan, how concerned are you?

Ray Didinger recently penned his thoughts on the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins.

Regarding the Cowboys, Didinger believes that the team is poised for redemption this year.

As for the Giants, Didinger thinks that team’s ship might already be sunk before the season has already started.

And the Redskins? Well, Didinger would be surprised if their season ends anywhere but the NFC East basement.

By Ray Didinger
CSNPhilly.com

Five observations from the final week of the preseason…

• Brian Rolle was a lock to make the Eagles 53-man roster before the team ever boarded the bus to North Jersey for Thursday’s game against the Jets. He had an outstanding camp, the coaches loved him, he had it made.

Yet Rolle still went out and played like his job was on the line. He was all over the field as a starting linebacker and he stayed on the field as part of the nickel package. Chances are you will be seeing a lot more of him during the regular season.

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CSNPhilly.com

A few of the Eagles’ roster cuts were surprising to Eagles insider Ray Didinger. A few were not. Ray breaks it all down on the final cut day before the NFL season begins next weekend.

By Reuben Frank
CSNPhilly.com

Veteran defensive linemen Anthony Hargrove and Derek Landri are the first official surprises of cut day.

Hargrove and Landri both signed with the Eagles as free agents on Aug. 4 and both had very good preseasons. Hargrove can play tackle or end, and Landri is purely a tackle.

Hargrove tweeted the news on his verified Twitter account Saturday afternoon. A source confirmed Landri’s release.

Hargrove, 28, overcame drug and alcohol dependency and two NFL-imposed suspensions to win a Super Bowl ring with the Saints in 2009. He’s started 27 games and played in 92 in parts of six NFL seasons with the Rams, Bills and Saints.

Just one day earlier, former teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush tweeted at Hargrove: “You look good in that green, bro.”

Landri, who started 16 games for the Panthers last year, might have had the best preseason of all Eagles defensive linemen.

The moves augur well for veteran Trevor Laws, who would be the fourth defensive tackle behind Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins and Antonio Dixon.

With final cuts down to the regular-season limit of 53 due by 6 p.m., the Eagles still have 11 defensive linemen on the roster.

CSNPhilly.com Staff

The Eagles on Friday cut nine players, including center A.Q. Shipley, which should mean that veteran Jamaal Jackson’s spot on the team is secure.

Jackson lost his starting job to rookie sixth-round pick Jason Kelce.

Also cut were linebacker Rashad Jeanty, safety Jamar Wall, receiver Rod Harper, tight end Cornelius Ingram, guard Dallas Reynolds, fullback Stanley Havii – a seventh-round pick – and running back Graig Cooper.

The roster now stands at 71 and must be cut to 53 by 6 p.m. Saturday.

Several Eagles players took to Twitter on Thursday morning to signal the beginning of the college football season, which kicks off tonight:

Keenan Clayton is excited for the season to begin for his Oklahoma Sooners, the preseason No. 1 team in the nation.

Brent Celek is already making a prediction.

Meanwhile, Riley Cooper took a shot at former SEC rival and Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Richardson of Alabama.

Nobody expected Nnamdi Asomugha to sign with the Eagles… including Nnamdi Asomugha.

On the Jim Rome Show Wednesday, the Eagles’ prized free-agent signee said he was “100 percent” certain that he’d agree to a deal with the Jets this off-season.

“We’re talking about first-class organizations,” Asomugha answered when asked about his prior suitors. “We’re talking about great coaches, we’re talking about talented teams.”

Of those talented teams, the Jets were the clear favorite.

“Before the Eagles were involved, I was dealing with the teams I was dealing with, and that was where the decision was gonna be made,” Asomugha admitted.

Already possessing one of the game’s stoutest defenses, Jets head coach and defensive whiz Rex Ryan was looking to pair his own shutdown corner, Darrelle Revis, with the comparable Asomugha. The Jets’ secondary could have been the football equivalent of the Phillies’ starting rotation.

But of course, the story ended differently, with Asomugha being given the chance to play for the team he desired all along.

“Once [the Eagles] came in, then it was like everything was understood. I knew where I was supposed to be.”

Taking a dip into the mailbag this afternoon:

Question: Why has the NFL never developed a minor league system outside of the World League? There are plenty of U.S. cities that would embrace a developmental league.

Ross Reardon
Lansing, Mi.

Ray’s Answer: The NFL had a minor league of sorts in the late ’60s. The Eagles had a team in Pottstown, the Redskins had a team in Norfolk and the Giants had a team in Connecticut. Out west, the Chargers had a team in Las Vegas. There were others, but this farm system didn’t last long. It proved expensive and the returns weren’t that great. The NFL teams realized they already had a great farm system that didn’t cost them a dime. It’s called college football.

Sound off: Do you think a true, minor-league system would benefit the NFL? Do you think it’s something that will ever exist?