The Eagles' offensive line shakeup involved Demetress Bell, who struggled when inserted at right tackle on Monday night against the Saints. He has since been moved back to left tackle, where he is more comfortable. (US Presswire) |
The Eagles’ offensive line got another facelift on Wednesday when tackle Todd Herremans was officially put on injured reserve, ending his season.
Herremans is the fourth O-line starter to be injured this season, and now the Eagles have shuffled their deck even more; they’ve moved King Dunlap from left tackle to right tackle and moved Demetress Bell from the bench to left tackle.
Dunlap has been the starter at left tackle for most of the season, and he played there on Monday night when the Eagles lost to New Orleans 28-13. Bell replaced Herremans on the right side after Herremans was injured late in the first quarter, but Bell revealed on Wednesday that he has never played right tackle in a game in his life.
Anyone who saw that game against the Saints knows how much Bell struggled; he gave up two sacks and was flagged for two red-zone penalties. Eagles coach Andy Reid also saw that, so he moved Bell back to the left side, where he’s more comfortable, and Dunlap to the right side, where he started three games last season.
Assuming right guard Danny Watkins isn’t ready to play on Sunday -- he’s missed the last two games with a sprained ankle and didn’t practice on Wednesday -- the Eagles’ offensive line for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys looks like this:
- LT: Demetress Bell
- LG: Evan Mathis
- C: Dallas Reynolds
- RG: Dennis Kelly
- RT: King Dunlap
“It doesn’t matter who’s in there or where they’re playing, we have to do a better job, especially protecting Mike [Vick],’’ Kelly said. “Nobody is going to feel sorry for us because we’ve had some injuries, and we definitely can’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
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