Jaiquawn

Jarrett

It was never much of a competition, as Nate Allen has been battling tendinitis in his knee. Page started 37 games in Kansas City from 2007-09 and has IDP appeal with a decent shot at 80-90 tackles. Kurt Coleman is expected to start on the other side, but he’s looking over his shoulder at rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett.

It’s certainly not because the Eagles are well-stocked with quality safeties, either. Jarrett did suffer a thigh injury in the preseason finale, but he wasn’t going to be more than a special teamer to start the season regardless. He could be active in that role this week while a shaky Nate Allen takes over for Kurt Coleman at free safety.

Dion Lewis will back up LeSean McCoy. Seventh-round pick Bryce Brown and undrafted free agent Chris Polk will compete for the No. 3 job. Nate Allen is locked in as a starting safety. 2011 second-round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett and Kurt Coleman will compete for the other starting job.

Beat writer Jeff McLane believes Reid was sending a “message” to Jarrett, who struggled conceptually as a rookie. Reid declared Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen the current favorites to start. Jarrett will have to bypass Coleman this summer.

Jaiquawn Jarrett heads back to the bench and Jarrad Page was cut. Allen will start next to Kurt Coleman and should be a boost. Before sustaining his concussion, Allen was showing signs that he was over his 2010 ruptured patellar tendon injury.

Slow to pick up Juan Castillo’s scheme, Jarrett was bypassed three times for a starting job. He held his own as an injury replacement last week, recording three solo tackles without surrendering a big play against the Bears. Cardinals QB John Skelton isn’t exactly a stiff test this week.

Allen went down on the game’s opening drive. That meant second-round rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett saw the first significant action of his career. The Bears rung up 372 yards of total offense last night.

Allen was not healthy for most of the 2011 season after struggling to rehab a knee injury during the lockout. The team’s second-round pick in 2010, Allen now “feels great” and the team expects a return to his strong rookie-season play. Coleman is getting the early nod over 2011 second-round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett at strong safety, though that battle will rage on in camp.

O.J. Atogwe has been banged up for the majority of camp and Jaiquawn Jarrett continues to be a liability. That leaves Coleman, a 2010 seventh-rounder, next to Nate Allen. He had 78 tackles, four interceptions, five pass breakups and one forced fumble last year. Three of those picks came in Week 6 against the Redskins.

Despite using a second-round pick on Jarrett in 2011, the Eagles have repeatedly passed him over. They brought in underwhelming Jarrad Page last year and just signed O.J. Atogwe to a one-year deal this week. Jarrett’s struggles in coverage are a major liability. Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman are penciled in as the starting safeties.