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The Eagles have a couple weeks before they have to trim their roster down to 53 players.

As we’ve discussed at length here on Birds 24/7, when that deadline arrives, Andy Reid and company will have difficult decisions to make on their defensive line.

One player whose role could go a long way in determining who stays and who goes is Cullen Jenkins.

When Andy Reid ran through the players who won’t be on the field Monday night against the Patriots, one name he left out was Nnamdi Asomugha.

Asomugha participated in practice Friday and Saturday after suffering a lip laceration and sore neck in a collision with Nate Allen Monday afternoon.

It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse for Kevin Kolb.

The former Eagles second-round pick didn’t do much last night to make his case for being the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, going 3-for-6 for 22 yards. Kolb completed his first three passes as Arizona scored on its opening possession, but then things went downhill. He was sacked three times, including once in the end zone, for a safety. The offensive line deserves criticism too, but Kolb is now 5-for-15 for 47 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the preseason.

To make matters worse, Kolb’s opponents are now ripping him.

Nnamdi Asomugha was a full participant in practice Friday afternoon for the first time since a violent mid-air collision with Nate Allen on Monday.

Asomugha suffered a lip laceration and a sore neck. On Tuesday, Andy Reid said the cornerback had “whiplash-type symptoms.”

Yesterday, Asomugha began practice, but did not finish because of discomfort in his neck. He said today that he couldn’t talk much because his mouth (lip) is still recovering. Asomugha added that his neck is fine.

The positive momentum Brandon Graham built up in the spring carried over to training camp and now into the preseason.

“Brandon’s on a mission,” Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said today. “You can ask him, and he’ll tell you the same thing. He’s on a mission. We expect some good things from Brandon. But he’s in a dogfight, just like all of them. It’s tough to keep 12 of them.”

Throughout America, August is a month for optimism in NFL cities.

It’s not difficult to find stories about rookies looking great in camp, players who have had great offseasons and coaches vowing to make adjustments in the year ahead.

But every now and then, it’s important to look at the past.

So without further ado, here are five things to remember about the Eagles’ defense – some good, some bad – with an eye on the upcoming season.

Last summer, when Asante Samuel thought he might get traded, he responded by telling reporters that perhaps the Eagles no longer needed his “play-making ability.”

The veteran cornerback, now with the Falcons, prides himself on reading quarterbacks and coming up with interceptions. His 45 picks rank fourth on the active list.

But in last night’s preseason game, the Bengals took advantage of Samuel, as wide receiver A.J. Green beat him with a double-move and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown from Andy Dalton.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Dixon and Joselio Hanson all started practice Thursday afternoon at the Novacare Complex, but none of them finished.

Tra Thomas kept it together for about 57 seconds.

Officially retiring as an Eagle at the Novacare Complex today, he watched a short highlight video of his time with the Birds before stepping to the podium.

He thanked owner Jeffrey Lurie, talked about transitioning from a defensive end to an offensive tackle in college and remembered when the Eagles drafted him in 1998.

But then Thomas got to his coach, Andy Reid.

The battle continues.

Yesterday, T-Mac provided us with a good laugh with his latest 53-man roster projection.

Now it’s my turn. I’ve got some changes from last week. Here goes nothing.

Now that training camp has moved from Lehigh to South Philly, it’s time to look back on which Eagles helped themselves and hurt themselves in the last three weeks.

​Jeff Demps ​was part of USA’s 4×100-meter relay team, which won a silver medal at the London Olympics.

Now, he’s ready to take a shot at the NFL. And according to a report, the Eagles are “intrigued” with the possibility of adding him.

Before training camp started, my No. 1 concern for the Eagles was simple: Would the team’s plan at backup quarterback be good enough?

But the truth is, we won’t know the answer to that question unless (until?) Michael Vick gets injured and Mike Kafka (or perhaps Nick Foles) has to enter a regular-season game.

Now that camp’s over, though, a new concern has emerged: Will Demetress Bell be ready to go in Week 1 vs. the Browns?

The Eagles released a new depth chart today, in advance of Monday’s preseason game against the Patriots. Here are some notes on where players, including left tackle Demetress Bell, are listed.

You won’t hear many conversations where Michael Vick is mentioned in the same breath as Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. According to Vegas, though, Vick is among the favorites to win the MVP award in 2012.