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We knew earlier in the week that Rex Grossman was a confident quarterback, when he said he expected the Washington Redskins to win the NFC East this season. On Friday night, in Washington's 16-7 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Grossman played like a confident quarterback. He looked cool and in control, playing the first half behind a surprisingly sound offensive line and going 19-for-26 for 207 yards and a touchdown.

Now, the first reaction will be to say Grossman has seized the lead over John Beck, who missed the game with a groin injury, in the competition for the Redskins' starting quarterback job. But I'm not sure it's that simple. The Redskins' coaches believe Grossman can run their offense as well as, if not better than, Donovan McNabb did in 2010. They believe he's as competent as can be, and nothing he did Friday night showed them anything they didn't already know about him. The reason this is a competition at all is that Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan believe Beck has more upside and athleticism. They want to see how Beck handles himself against hostile competition, under the bright lights in a situation with something (i.e., the starting quarterback job) on the line. The groin injury robbed them of that chance this week, and they'll hope they can get him in there next week so the competition can begin for real.

What Grossman's performance did Friday was maybe allow the Shanahans to sleep a little more easily. What they saw reinforced what they thought things would look like if they ended up going with Grossman. But as far as the Grossman-Beck competition is concerned, I'm not sure it's really started yet.

A few more observations from Washington's surprisingly impressive effort in its first preseason game:

1. Ryan Kerrigan can contribute right away. The first-round draft pick is still getting up to speed, as a leg injury cost him several early training camp practices. And he will need to continue to work on his coverages and get used to playing on two feet as a linebacker rather than out of the three-point stance in which he played as a defensive end at Purdue. But Kerrigan can rush a passer. He showed that several times, making his way swiftly into the backfield from the side opposite Brian Orakpo, and getting hits on Steelers running backs and quarterbacks. He might not be a fully finished NFL product by Week 1, but the Redskins can start him at outside linebacker if they want to and just send him after quarterbacks all night, and they'll get plenty of value out of that.

2. Tim Hightower will be the starting running back as long as he holds on to the football. Mike Shanahan thought he got a steal when he acquired Hightower in a trade with Arizona during training camp's first week. You saw Hightower look good running the ball, but what really jumps out to Shanahan is the help Hightower can provide in the passing game -- as a receiver and as a blocker. Ryan Torain will still get a long look once he gets back from his hand injury, but Hightower is the clear leader to be the starting running back in Week 1.

3. Lots of Evan Royster. Once Hightower was out of the game, the rookie running back who got the vast majority of touches was Royster, not Roy Helu. Helu didn't get a carry until there were about eight minutes left in the third quarter, and the work he got at that point seemed to be aimed at getting a breather for Royster, who came right back in. As Rich Campbell, the fine Redskins beat writer for the Washington Times, pointed out on Twitter, Shanahan likes to give running backs "whole games" to allow them to establish rhythm before he evaluates them. Did the same thing, Campbell says, last season with Willie Parker and Larry Johnson. By that logic, we should expect to see a preseason game at some point in which Helu gets a ton of carries. Helu looked explosive in the fourth-quarter action he saw, and I'm sure the Redskins are eager to take a longer look at him.

4. Trouble in the secondary? There were a couple of first-half plays on which Steelers receivers got well past Redskins cornerbacks and would have had big plays if the passes hadn't been overthrown. Some of the secondary problems could have to do with communication issues, since both starting safeties were out with injuries. But newcomer Josh Wilson bears watching at corner as the preseason goes along.

5. Mixed results on the defensive line. I thought there were times when it got pushed around, but the defensive line had its moments. Kerrigan's tackle of Mewelde Moore on that third-and-2 probably wouldn't have happened if new nose tackle Barry Cofield hadn't gotten quick penetration and held his spot. Moore ran right into Cofield a split-second before Kerrigan grabbed him. Rookie Jarvis Jenkins also was able to produce some pressure, Stephen Bowen sacked Byron Leftwich, and there were plenty of early plays on which the line cleared room for a fired-up London Fletcher to get into the backfield and make plays.

6. Veteran receivers. Whoever the quarterback is, he will be happy to have Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney, two professional, veteran route-runners. The young receivers? Meh. Niles Paul made a nice play. Aldrick Robinson kept dropping the ball on kick returns. And Leonard Hankerson had a bad drop, which matters only because that's the thing about him that everybody's watching. The drops.

7. A good night for Graham Gano. While the quarterback competition might not have begun yet, the kicker competition might be over. Newcomer Shayne Graham missed badly from 29 and 49 yards. Gano made his three field goals from 32, 34 and 45. Maybe they brought in Graham just to pressure Gano into doing better, but he didn't exert much pressure Friday, and Gano looked fantastic.

All in all, if you hadn't been following any of the preseason coverage, you'd have tuned in Friday night and thought the Redskins looked pretty sharp. Keep in mind: This is a rebuilding team. So good signs from Friday night can be good signs for the future even if they don't end up portending anything great for 2011. As for 2011 ... One thing the Redskins almost certainly will be able to do is beat outside expectations. Remains to be seen, of course, whether they have any chance of living up to Grossman's.

The Dallas Cowboys, much like the New York Giants, have been mentioned as a team that didn't do much in free agency. In fact they did sign a large number of free agents. It's just that, due to cap concerns and the fact that they were already set at most of the attention-grabbing positions, the Cowboys' free-agency exploits paled (as did most everyone's) to those of the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the Cowboys did sign Doug Free, Kyle Kosier, Marcus Spears, Gerald Sensabaugh, Abram Elam and Jason Hatcher. Five of those six guys are starters, and Hatcher showed up a lot Thursday night in sub packages and with the second-team defense. The performance he delivered in the preseason opener could lead him to an expanded role. Per DallasCowboys.com:

On the opening drive, he hurried Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton into an incompletion that forced Denver to kick a field goal. Later, his pressure led to an Alan Ball interception on Tim Tebow (the play was nullified by pass interference).

Hatcher, who re-signed for three years and $6 million a week into training camp, has 7.5 sacks in five seasons with the Cowboys. He worked hard to stay in shape during the lockout, knowing he could fit into Ryan's rotation.

"I'm playing more right side this year versus left side last year," Hatcher said. "I'm getting more comfortable as practice goes along.

"It allows me to use my athletic ability -- not read blocks, just get off the ball and make plays."

Hatcher seems to like the new Ryan scheme, and more importantly he seems to be grasping it very quickly. Players who do that are likely to have a greater chance to see the field early on that players who don't. The Cowboys aren't the kind of team that's going to want to ease into the season while everybody learns the new defense. They would like to win and compete for a championship this season. If Hatcher understands the defense, is slimmed down and quicker and can be a factor in helping the Cowboys generate a pass rush, you're going to see him a lot. They need help from up front rushing the passer, and Hatcher and Spears both had plays early in Thursday's game that indicated they might get some. I also thought Victor Butler showed a lot from the outside linebacker spot, and there have been plenty of reports from San Antonio that Butler is picking up the defense quickly too.

It's early in this process, and the Cowboys' defense looked it Thursday. But as August rolls along, Ryan is going to be looking for people who can grasp what he's teaching and put it into practice. If Hatcher is going to be such a person, his re-signing, while not very exciting at the time, could turn out to have been a very shrewd one.

Well, it was fun to watch some football, wasn't it? At least for the first halves of the games, when there were players in there you could imagine playing on Sundays this fall. Good for the NFL for solving that pesky labor dispute and getting the preseason started on time. Good for Jason Garrett for going for two and for the Eagles' defense for preventing that last touchdown, because overtime in the preseason is about as lame a concept as there is. And good for you for getting your breakfast links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that the Dallas defense, in its first game under Rob Ryan, looked like a defense that was still feeling its way into its new scheme. I agree completely, and with Marcus Spears' assertion that they're "not playing anywhere like we'll be playing later in the year." And I think you saw glimpses of some encouraging things, such as pressure Spears and Anthony Hatcher were able to generate, and that first play where DeMarcus Ware got his hand on a Kyle Orton pass. Ryan's never had a player like Ware before, and it'll be fun to see how he uses him. But let's be honest here: The Cowboys don't have all year to learn this stuff. Sure, they need to look better and more sure of themselves later this season than they do now, but they need to look a lot better in 30 days than they do now, too. At least they have some tape they can take back and work with.

David Buehler says he feels like the kicker job is his to lose. We'll see if Dan Bailey gets his chances next week. This could turn out to be one of the least inspiring position battles in NFL history.

New York Giants

Unless everybody on his side is just pulling our legs (still possible, but feeling less likely), it appears as though Osi Umenyiora has reached the point where he's realized his holdout is no longer doing him any good. The sense is that he'll be back at practice Monday, after he got his knee checked out by a specialist Thursday and was apparently cleared. Good for Umenyiora if he was able to get any any extra money or incentives out of this, and good for the Giants for standing their ground when they didn't have to cave. He's an important player for them, and if he has a great year, he'll have more leverage next time around.

Lots of people had thoughts on Jerry Reese's odd news conference Thursday. These are Tara Sullivan's. Tara's point, a good one, is that Reese is perfectly within his rights to say you don't have to make a big free-agent splash to win, but that if you believe that you need to keep your own players. And in losing Steve Smith, Kevin Boss and Barry Cofield, Reese failed to do either thing: "The collateral damage has left coach Tom Coughlin with as thin a roster as he’s had in years, not a comfortable position for a man with two years left on his contract and a playoffs-or-bust mandate to get any more," Tara writes.

Philadelphia Eagles

As great as the Eagles looked in and felt after the preseason victory over Baltimore, there is growing concern about the health status of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who's headed back to St. Louis (which is home for him, I guess) for further tests on the medical condition the Eagles won't discuss in detail. Andy Reid continues to insist he believes Maclin will be there for the Eagles when the season begins, but he doesn't seem to have much evidence for that belief. The most important thing is that the young man is OK, of course, not whether he plays football again. But from a strictly football standpoint, a Maclin absence would mean a lot more of Jason Avant, who looks very good.

The Eagles will go into this high-hopes season with rookies at kicker and punter. And while Alex Henery and Chas Henry are decorated collegiate kickers, the fact that they're rookies will keep the spotlight on them all year. They passed their first test, it would seem.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins defense you'll see in the early part of Friday night's game against the Steelers should be much improved over last year's, but defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told Mike Jones that he's looking forward to a time when it's fully healthy. LaRon Landry is on the PUP list while he continues to recover from his Achilles injury, and fellow safety O.J. Atogwe could miss the game with a hamstring pull. Safety was to have been a position of strength for the Redskins, and so you can see why Haslett would want his starters on the field with the rest of the more questionable guys.

Lots of eyes will be on the rookie receivers tonight, and Deron Snyder offers a look at Leonard Hankerson, who's looked good in camp except for those pesky drops, which I imagine could continue to be an issue that holds him back.

One final note: Yes, Buffalo is putting Lee Evans on the market. Yes, you can make the case that all four of these teams could use a receiver. But don't overrate Lee Evans here, folks. The Giants don't need to get Lee Evans just because they lost Steve Smith. Evans is nothing like Smith. He's the opposite of Smith, really -- a burner who can't get open and has never lived up to his considerable potential. (And no, it's not all because Buffalo hasn't had a quarterback. Steven Johnson managed to have a great year there last year because he can shake receivers and find the ball before defenders do.) If your team gets this guy, the best you can hope is that they didn't trade much to get him and that a change of scenery helps. But don't get too nuts about it.

Anyway, catch you later on. Redskins game tonight, so I'll be on the Twitter during that and filing my impressions when it's over.

I'm not sure if there are fans out there who care whether or not their teams actually win preseason games. But if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan and you do, then the ending of Thursday night's preseason opener was fun. Stephen McGee's touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris in the final minute, and the two-point conversion play that followed to give the Cowboys a 24-23 exhibition victory over the Denver Broncos, provided decent (if meaningless) theater for fans happy to have football back after so long.

Of course, if you're enough of a fan to care about the final score, you almost certainly care even more about the stuff that was going on hours earlier, when the first-teamers were in the game. Here's what I saw from the Cowboys in their first preseason game:

1. The defense is a work in progress, and appears to know it. They've had just two weeks, since the lockout ended, to learn and adjust to Rob Ryan's new scheme. They are still learning. Especially in the secondary, there were lots of times early on where guys were looking around or at each other after the play as if they were trying to figure out what should have happened. The safeties got caught looking into the backfield at critical times. They did a fine job on the goal line in the first quarter, holding the Broncos to a field goal after Kyle Orton had marched down the field somewhat easily, and they got some nice pressure from defensive ends Marcus Spears and Jason Hatcher. But overall, this looked like a defense that's still learning. And that's fine. No one would have expected them to know Ryan's scheme already. He's keeping things simple, withholding the kinds of complicated blitzes and fake-out looks we'll surely see from him as his players get more comfortable with their assignments. These preseason games will be part of the learning process for a defense that will surely look better one, two and three months hence than it does now, and the Cowboys should not be judged on their inability to stop Orton or Tim Tebow on this particular night.

2. Tyron Smith is talented. The Cowboys' first-round draft pick failed to pick up a safety blitz, and that led to a sack. But overall, he held his own against the Broncos' line. What I liked best may have been the fact that, after almost every play, you could see Smith talking to Kyle Kosier as they walked back to the huddle. Moving the veteran Kosier to the right side to play next to the rookie Smith was a sharp idea, and as Smith also uses these games as learning opportunities, he'll benefit from proximity to the Cowboys' brainy guard.

3. More Victor Butler, please. If they don't think they can snap Anthony Spencer back into his late-2009 form, why not use Butler as a pass-rusher on the side opposite DeMarcus Ware? All reports indicate that he's looked good in practice and has a grasp of the scheme and the playbook. He was everywhere Thursday night when he was in the game. With a new coordinator in town, it makes sense to think guys will have chances to play their way into more playing time and larger roles, and Butler could be such a guy.

4. Felix Jones looks speedy. I mean, real nice bust through the line in his first-quarter action. We didn't see Tashard Choice or DeMarco Murray tonight, and Lonyae Miller failed to impress in what was thought to be his big chance. But Jones looked like a guy who wants to be a full-time starting running back in the league and has the tools to make it happen. Time will tell if this is the year, whether he'll have the opportunity to do so and how much he'll rotate with Choice and Murray. But Jones was fun to watch Thursday.

5. How about Dwayne Harris? There doesn't appear to be an immediate threat on the roster to Kevin Ogletree's hold on the No. 3 receiver spot. But if Ogletree struggles, there are some playmakers further down the depth chart. Harris caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and looked tough as he created space and outfought a defender or two for the ball in a couple of spots.

6. Of course David Buehler's field goal was good. Hey, look. As I watched it, I was sure it had missed, too. But the official is standing right there under the upright, and there's pretty much no way to miss that call. It was ugly, but it was good, and it was the only field goal either he or Dan Bailey, his competitor for the kicker job, attempted all night. Buehler made his one extra point attempt and Bailey didn't get a chance at his because of a bungled snap. Bailey handled all the kickoffs, presumably because the Cowboys have no concerns about Buehler's ability to kick the ball through the back of the end zone now that it appears almost everyone can. No blood drawn, it would seem, in the kicker competition Thursday.

7. Stephen McGee. No idea what to make of it, since he was playing with and against backups, but the young man played some very nice football in this game and deserves to be recognized for that. At the very least, he provides potential fodder for the nuts who think Tony Romo should be replaced if the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl. And that's good. Got to keep the nuts happy.

Thoughts from the Eagles 13-6 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a preseason game on Thursday.

After all of that hype, the free-agency period that made them the focus of the NFL world and a high-energy training camp fueled by the highest of expectations, the Philadelphia Eagles played their first preseason game Thursday night. And while it's important not to read too much, if anything, into preseason game performance, there wasn't anything not to like.

Michael Vick looked fantastic on his one series, in which he engineered a touchdown drive without his top two receivers. The new right side of the offensive line held up fine. The defensive line looked aggressive and quick and deep. The safeties got a pair of interceptions. Even the rookie kicker and punter looked good. If you came in as an Eagles fan looking for reasons to feel good, you found them. If you came in as an angry doubter looking for places to poke holes, you'll have to wait until next week. The Eagles enjoyed themselves a great deal in their exhibition victory over the Ravens, and here are a couple of specific things I noticed:

1. The new defensive game plan. The Eagles' defense, with Juan Castillo as the coordinator and Jim Washburn as the defensive line coach, will key off of that line. Washburn is coaching his linemen to push into the backfield and put pressure on quarterbacks and ballcarriers, and he appears to have enough depth at the end and tackle spots to maintain the required energy all game. Trent Cole looks as if he could thrive in this scheme, and they got contributions from guys like Darryl Tapp, Derek Landri and Keenan Clayton as Castillo and Washburn rotated linemen in and out all night. "Wash, he wants us to get off and attack every play," Cole said. "No matter what, it's all out. You see how we rotate in different lines, it's keeping everybody fresh. It's awesome to have that now. We've got a great group of d-lineman that can all play; they're all playing at the same level. We're going to keep this thing going." Pressure by the guys up front seemed to lead to both interceptions.

2. The new offensive line game plan. New offensive line coach Howard Mudd is teaching his linemen to push upfield as well. When Castillo was the O-line coach, the linemen were taught to hold their ground. Under Mudd, they're taught to pursue a piece of ground somewhere in front of them and hold that -- pushing upfield aggressively to create room for the backs behind them. We saw that in the first quarter, when the starting line was in there against Haloti Ngata and an imposing Baltimore front. And even after the starters left, rookie right guard Danny Watkins and new right tackle Ryan Harris stayed in a bit longer as they're getting up to speed. Watkins seemed to allow a defender through on the play that resulted in Vick's rollout and 42-yard completion to Riley Cooper, but the Eagles ran behind him with fullback Owen Schmitt to pick up a first down on a 3rd-and-2 play just before that.

3. Vick is working on staying composed. His arm looks great, especially considering that he's throwing to backup receivers because DeSean Jackson just showed up the other day and Jeremy Maclin is sick. But Vick's assignment this preseason is to work on blitz recognition, and he did a fine job with that as the Ravens helped him out by throwing a few blitzes at him. He stayed in the pocket, kept his eyes downfield and didn't seem to want to take off and run instead of throw. Just one series, but Vick looks to be in control.

4. The backups can play a little. Vince Young does not know the offense yet, which is why we saw a lot of Ronnie Brown runs once the starters were out of the game. Young did pick up a first down by scrambling away from pressure and completing a pass to Chad Hall, which just shows you that he's capable of helping out even while he is still learning the offense. And Brown looks as though his power running style makes him a perfect change-of-pace off of starter LeSean McCoy.

5. Give the linebackers an "incomplete." We didn't see enough out of Casey Matthews to make any judgments one way or the other about his ability to handle the middle linebacker spot. It appeared as though that Ray Rice catch-and-run up the left side on Baltimore's first possession might have had something to do with a missed assignment by a linebacker, but Reid said after the game that he'd have to look at the tape to evaluate the linebackers. Maybe they really could be an afterthought with the loaded line and secondary.

6. Mike Kafka looked good after his early interception. Rookie running back Dion Lewis had his moments, too.

7. Hugh Douglas! Loved his work as an Eagles sideline analyst. Perchance a star is born?

On the eve of the Washington Redskins' preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Jones of The Washington Post takes a look at some of the position battles being fought on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is taking the outwardly optimistic approach on these:

"I'm excited because I think we have a lot better competition," the 31-year-old Shanahan says. "Last year, we kind of knew who our guys were a little. We were trying to figure out our team and stuff. The depth wasn't there. We have better depth this year and there's going to be some competition there from the first quarter all the way to the fourth."

Fair enough. The pessimistic side of that coin would be that the competition results from the lack of quality on the roster, rather than a preponderance of depth. But Shanahan's job is to mold, not to mope, so let's take a look at what he's looking at as the preseason gets underway.

Quarterback: Looks as though Rex Grossman will get the start Friday night and John Beck's groin injury will keep him from being a factor in the first preseason game. Kellen Clemens should play some Friday, and surely he'd love to get himself into the competition. Remember, Clemens thought he was going to be the Jets' starter two straight offseasons before being supplanted first by Brett Favre and then by Mark Sanchez. Shanahan and his head-coach father have presented this as a competition between Beck and Grossman, and the sense I got while there was that they really wanted to see if Beck could handle it. But if Beck and his groin are going to linger, and if Grossman doesn't impress, how crazy is it to imagine Clemens getting into the discussion?

Running back: Another injury here, as Ryan Torain is out with a broken hand and Tim Hightower, who's the favorite to win the starter's job, will get the chance to show he can hold onto the ball with his two good ones. Mike Shanahan loves Hightower as a one-cut runner, as a pass-catcher, as a goal-line back and as a pass-blocker. The only hangup is the fumbles, which were a problem in Arizona and showed up early in camp this year. Expect to see rookies Roy Helu and Evan Royster a lot, and if Hightower does fumble, there's certainly opportunity there for the youngsters while Torain sits out.

Wide receiver: Who will start opposite Santana Moss? Right now, they're listing Jabar Gaffney as the starter, but it's clear that Anthony Armstrong and Donte' Stallworth have a chance to grab the spot. Rookie Leonard Hankerson is a player they like a lot but consider a project. Fellow rookies Niles Paul and Aldrick Robinson are likely to see action, too, and it sounds as if Paul has played well in recent practices. My guess is that Armstrong plays well this preseason and goes into the season as the No. 2 receiver. But that's just a guess, and if he doesn't pay well there are plenty of guys to take the spot from him

Tight end: The Chris Cooley injury would be a bigger worry if they didn't have Fred Davis backing him up, but they are better when they have both, and they won't have Cooley for this game. It'll be interesting to see how much the tight end is used as a pass-catcher in Washington's offense this year. Sure, the receiving corps could use the help, but the offensive line could use some blocking help as well. My guess is Cooley and Davis will do a lot of blocking.

Of course we'll be watching to see how the offensive line plays, because there are question marks there. But there aren't really position battles there. It looks as though the starting five is set and just needs time to jell together. How much time it takes -- and whether it happens at all this year or ever will -- is not a question that can be answered in one or even four preseason games. These other questions, though, will start to find their answers Friday night.

I have here on my laptop screen three "unofficial depth charts" -- one each for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. They arrived as part of the media game notes in advance of preseason games, which begin the day after tomorrow. On Monday, I got the ones for the Cowboys and Eagles, who open preseason play Thursday. This morning I got the one for the Redskins, whose preseason opener is Friday. I am assuming that the Giants, who play Saturday, will send theirs tomorrow. (See what I did there? I incorporated simple addition and knowledge of the calendar. My sons' elementary school teachers would be so proud.)

Anyway, these don't, technically, mean anything. The teams call them "unofficial" just so we remember that. But they are fun, and here at the NFC East blog we're all about having fun. So let's take a look at a couple of things I noticed about each of the three I have so far that you, my dear readers, might find interesting. (And don't worry, Giants fans, you'll get your turn when I get your depth chart.)

Dallas Cowboys

Not a lot of surprises here. The Cowboys don't list their injured players as front-line starters, so Phil Costa is listed as the first-string center with Andre Gurode listed in brackets at the back of the depth chart as an injured player. They still have Montrae Holland listed as the starting right guard even though he's hurt, too, and David Arkin started there in Sunday's scrimmage. Arkin is listed as Kyle Kosier's backup at left guard, but we know that the alignment was changed Monday so that Arkin was starting with the first team at left guard and Kosier moved over to the right to start next to rookie tackle Tyron Smith.

Felix Jones is listed as the starting running back, though Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray are listed in brackets because of injury and therefore pose no unofficial-depth-chart threat at the moment. Jones' backup on the depth chart is Lonyae Miller. Kevin Ogletree and Jesse Holley are the wide receivers listed immediately behind Dez Bryant and Miles Austin at those two positions, for what that's worth. Brings into focus the fact that they could use help at that No. 3 receiver spot.

On defense, they have Marcus Spears and Igor Olshansky starting at defensive end, and Sean Lee starting next to Bradie James at inside linebacker with Keith Brooking hurt. Orlando Scandrick is the starting cornerback opposite Mike Jenkins and in place of the injured Terence Newman, and Alan Ball is listed as Jenkins' backup. Free-agent signees Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam are the starting safeties.

And David Buehler is still listed as the kicker ahead of Dan Bailey, but as I understand it that's not yet settled. Overall, it's tough to get a clear picture of the Cowboys' depth chart because of all the injuries.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles still list Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, neither of whom has yet had a full practice, as their starting receivers. So the Dream Team rolls a bit differently, depth chart-wise, than does America's Team. Their backups are listed as Riley Cooper and Jason Avant, who are obviously more likely to play Thursday than are the listed starters. Ryan Harris is listed as the starting right tackle and Winston Justice isn't listed at all (presumably because he's on that PUP list). Jamaal Jackson is still listed as the starting center, though you need to keep an eye on Jason Kelce and how much he plays against the Ravens. They also list Vince Young as the No. 2 quarterback, ahead of Mike Kafka.

On defense, the Eagles' first-team line is listed as Trent Cole, Antonio Dixon, Mike Patterson and Juqua Parker. Obviously, Patterson's health concerns have taken him out of the mix for the time being, and Dixon has been limited due to injury. So you're more likely to see Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove at those defensive tackle spots, with Trevor Laws in the mix once he's healthy. Deep rotation on the line, where free-agent signing Jason Babin is a second-team defensive end along with Darryl Tapp. They're listing Casey Matthews as the starting middle linebacker in between Jamar Chaney and Moise Fokou, and Asante Samuel and Nnamdi Asomugha are the starting cornerbacks. Kurt Coleman is listed as the starting free safety opposite Nate Allen and in front of rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett.

Johnnie Lee Higgins is listed as the kick returner and as Jackson's backup punt returner.

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman is listed as the starting quarterback, which is a change from the depth chart Mike Shanahan had on the wall of his office last week and could have something to do with John Beck's groin injury. It'll be interesting to see, if Beck is healthy, which one starts and how much they play. I think they'd like Beck to win the job but are prepared to go with Grossman if Beck falls on his face.

They're also listing Tim Hightower as the starting running back with Ryan Torain injured. But even if Torain were healthy, I believe they prefer Hightower assuming he can control his fumbling problem. Jabar Gaffney is listed as the starting wide receiver along with Santana Moss. Anthony Armstrong and Leonard Hankerson are listed as the backups. No surprises on the offensive line.

On defense, they have rookie Ryan Kerrigan starting at outside linebacker opposite Brian Orakpo and Rocky McIntosh starting inside along with London Fletcher. That puts Lorenzo Alexander in a bench/utility role from which he can help in multiple ways. Stephen Bowen and Adam Carriker are listed as the defensive ends on either side of nose tackle Barry Cofield. They have Josh Wilson starting at cornerback opposite DeAngelo Hall, and it'll be interesting to see if Wilson holds that job through and after Phillip Buchanon's four-game suspension. Reed Doughty starts at strong safety with LaRon Landry injured, and they're still listing Graham Gano as the kicker ahead of Shayne Graham, though it's possible that whoever shows up first when Shanahan yells "Graham!" will get to kick.

Have fun with it, folks. I'll take questions here and in the chat, at noon ET.