By By Jeff Mclane, The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

PHILADELPHIA — Asante Samuel did not practice with the Eagles for the second straight day, putting his availability for Saturday’s game at Dallas very much in question.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said Samuel tried to run on his strained hamstring Tuesday, but that the cornerback felt sore afterward and was subsequently held out from Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions.

“Asante is still a little sore, and we’ll just see how he does here over the next couple days,” Reid said.

Because of the short work week, Thursday was the last strenuous practice before the Eagles board a flight Friday afternoon. There will be a light walk-through in the morning at which point the team will decide whether or not Samuel is fit enough to travel.

The Eagles aren’t required to release their official injury report for the Cowboys game until Friday.

If Samuel can’t go, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will make his first start at left cornerback. Rodgers-Cromartie did start against Buffalo in October, but that was as the nickel cornerback, where he’s played most of the season.

Rodgers-Cromartie, who was acquired in the trade with Arizona for Kevin Kolb during training camp, filled in for Samuel when he left in the second quarter of Sunday’s game vs. the New York Jets.

“That’s where he’s played over the years,” Reid said. “We worked him as an inside player, and I thought he was getting better every week with that, but his natural spot, where he feels the most comfortable, is on the outside.

“He’s looked good; he’s done a nice job. He doesn’t have a problem doing it.”

Samuel attended the first part of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices, taking mental repetitions at certain points. Reid was asked if the 30-year-old Samuel, because of his experience, could play despite the lack of preparation this week.

“Yeah, he knows what we’re doing,” Reid said.

Samuel hasn’t missed a game this season, but the possibility of his not being ready by Saturday’s 4:15 p.m. kickoff is one of the scenarios the Eagles had in mind when they decided to keep three starting-caliber cornerbacks this season.

“We have this many talented corners on the team so we can fit people in when somebody goes down, if need be,” said Nnamdi Asomugha, the third component of that triumvirate. “I don’t think every team has that to their advantage.”

Rodgers-Cromartie missed three games in late November and early December due to a high-ankle sprain. Joselio Hanson replaced him in the nickel and has pretty much stayed in the slot even though Rodgers-Cromartie has been healthy the last two games.

Rodgers-Cromartie, who wasn’t available for comment Thursday, had never played the nickel before this season, and it has showed often.

Read More: Jason Avant (WR – PHI), Trent Cole (DE – PHI), Winston Justice (OT – PHI), Juqua Parker (DE – PHI), Jason Peters (OT – PHI), Cullen Jenkins (DT – PHI), Darryl Tapp (DE – PHI), Jarrad Page (S – PHI), Nate Allen (FS – PHI), Julian Vandervelde (G – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins look to retain their lead in the NFC East this Sunday when they host the struggling Philadelphia Eagles at Fed Ex Field. The Redskins will enter the Week 6 showdown rested and in fairly good shape injury-wise following their bye week. As for Philadelphia, here’s the good news on the injury front. The following long list of banged up players participated fully in Thursday’s practice:

safety Nate Allen (knee), wide receiver Jason Avant (hip), tackle Winston Justice (knee), safety Jarrad Page (stinger), wide receiver Steve Smith (knee), defensive end Darryl Tapp (pectoral) and guard Julian Vandervelde (elbow)

Defensive end Trent Cole sat out Thursday’s practice though due to a calf injury.  Juqua Parker, also a defensive end, was limited this afternoon after taking Wednesday off to nurse an ankle injury.

The injury bug extends to the Eagles’ offense as well, most notably along the offensive line. T Jason Peters missed his second consecutive day with an ailing hamstring. He is considered doubtful for Sunday. King Dunlap, who wasn’t on Wednesday’s injury report, was forced to sit Thursday out with a back problem. That presents the possibility of Eagles having just two tackles active this Sunday.

The big question mark and cause for concern though is the status of Cullen Jenkins. The defensive tackle returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s session with a triceps injury. Jenkins reportedly expressed confidence that he’ll be able to suit up against the ‘Skins on Sunday. We’ll have more information on Jenkins shortly.

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Vince Young has a hamstring strain, and is considered day to day.

Young was injured in Thursday’s 24-14 win over the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. The backup to Michael Vick who signed with Philadelphia after the lockout ended, Young may be limited when practice picks up on Monday.

That said, no one seems all that concerned.

“I think he’ll be OK,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said on Thursday, after the win.

Should that not be the case, Reid would turn to second-year quarterback Mike Kafka to be the No. 2. Kafka, from Northwestern, was 34-of-49 in four preseason games, totaling 369 yards, with two touchdowns and as many interceptions.

“I’m just very comfortable with him,” Reid said. “He’s had a good preseason, and so I have enough trust there.”

The Eagles open Sept. 11 at St. Louis.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The improvement in the Eagles defense from Week 2 of the preseason to the all-important Week 3 has provided some confidence for a group that had to at least wonder a little bit about itself after a rough effort in Pittsburgh.

So how good can this Eagles defense be as it prepares to open the season in just two weeks at St. Louis?

“What’s important,’’ first-year defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said the morning after his first unit shut out the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, “and this goes for everyone here, the important thing is winning the Super Bowl. So, it has to be good enough to win the Super Bowl. That’s the bottom line.’’

Stopping good, young second-year quarterback Colt McCoy and a bunch of middle-of-the-road receivers, isn’t quite the same as shutting down Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers and the weapons he has in Green Bay. Still, Castillo and his players have to like how much better the defense looked Thursday night from a week earlier.

In the 24-14 loss to the Steelers, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed eight of 12 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles defense, while running back Rashard Mendenhall ran for almost five yards a pop as Pittsburgh built a 21-0 lead.

The Eagles defense recorded just one sack and didn’t force a turnover.

“I definitely felt better this week,’’ rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews, who had five tackles and broke up a pass against Cleveland, said. “I obviously felt more comfortable. Last week against the Steelers was really my first week. I think it was only seven or eight plays, so I really couldn’t get in a rhythm. I definitely felt more comfortable this week and knew what to expect. I felt like it slowed down a lot. That’s what I feel was the biggest change from last week to this week and I was getting more blocks and making plays.”

Matthews, the fourth-round draft pick from Oregon, played well into the second half, longer than most of the starters Thursday. But he was gone by the time the Browns scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the score a respectable 24-14.

Cleveland’s first six drives against Castillo’s expected starters produced a total of 88 yards. The Eagles forced McCoy into a quarterback rating of just 41.2, and sacked him and his two backups a total of five times. Asante Samuel’s interception of McCoy led to one of the Eagles’ first-half scores.

“What it’s about is getting better every week, every day in practice,’’ Castillo said, “doing the right things, having the right focus. We had a great week of practice (heading into the Cleveland game). I always tell them you play how you practice. They practiced hard. Another big factor was third down. We got off the field on third down; last week we didn’t.’’

Four of Cleveland’s first six possessions when it was starters vs. starters went three-and-out and another produced just one first down.

So Castillo’s defense, which has depth on the line and at cornerback but is still going with a young, unproven trio of linebackers and has questions at safeties, played well Thursday in what will probably be its last audition before the start of the season. In his first 12 seasons, Reid has rarely played starters in the final preseason game, which is Thursday against the Jets.

“I think we’re ready,’’ Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. “I think based on the progress that we’ve shown, I think everyone’s pretty confident with where we’re at right now. Obviously we’re going to continue to get better, but where we’re at right now, it looks pretty good. I think (Thursday night) was the best any of us have done out there as far as communication and technique, so it was good.”

Good enough to win the Super Bowl? Check back in about five months.

Contact Mark Eckel at meckel@njtimes.com.

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