"I'm good with Dennis," Reid said. "Tough kid, smart."
Kelly, a fifth-round pick from Purdue, never played guard in college. He took snaps at guard in the preseason and has been learning on the job.
"I'm getting there," Kelly said. "Naturally, I've grown into being a tackle in the two-point stance. . . . [Guard] happens a lot faster. They're right on top of you. I guess you can say I'm pretty comfortable in both."
Kelly is learning the assignments for both positions. When Watkins plays, Kelly is the backup at both tackle and guard. At 6-foot-8, he is taller than a typical guard. His future is likely at tackle, but he'll be required to play guard if Watkins' condition does not improve.
"I have long arms, so I can get my hands on him quick," Kelly said of a defender. "At the same time, it's a condensed space. And when you're this big, to get down in a three-point stance when the whole time they tell you to play big, that's probably the biggest thing, learning how to play in a smaller space."
DRC supports Castillo
Eagles cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie voiced support for Juan Castillo, the former defensive coordinator who was fired last week. Castillo has endured criticism for his late-game play calling, although Rodgers-Cromartie credited Castillo for developing him into more of a press cornerback and said he did not think the Eagles needed a change at defensive coordinator.
"That's what you're going to say when things seem to go bad. You're going to pinpoint something," Rodgers-Cromartie said of other defensive players focusing on Castillo. "I don't feel that way. If you look at statistics we're still in the top. . . . That was a decision that was made. I can't do [anything] about it. But [I didn't] see [a] problem."
