Cornelius Ingram knows where he stands.

After a rookie season, and second consecutive season, lost to a torn ACL, Ingram was once again hampered by injury this summer. The former University of Florida standout flashed during his rookie training camp, showcasing the kind of explosiveness and hands that would make him a real threat in the passing game. After returning to the practice field this spring, Ingram worked his way back slowly, though he didn't appear to be quite the same player.

Then, during training camp, Ingram was beset by a calf problem that wouldn't go away until he got the Baker's Cyst drained last week.

"It was definitely tough dealing with the calf injury about two and half weeks," Ingram said following last night's preseason finale. "It was a long, frustrating, nagging injury, but of course I got it drained last week. So this week in practice I was able to move around better than I have the last two or three weeks. And it felt great. I went out in warmups, didn't feel anything and I felt good today. So it's just one of those things where you wait and see what happens."

Waiting is all Ingram can do at the moment. Last year, the Eagles only kept two tight ends on the 53-man roster for the majority of the season. Rookie fourth-round pick Clay Harbor is likely to be the top backup to Brent Celek. So where does that leave Ingram?

"At the end of the day, a lot of coaches and a lot of people are put in situations to make those decisions based on what you do in preseason and I was kind of limited in preseason," Ingram said. "I understand that and it's part of the process. It's one of those things where whatever happens is going to happen. It definitely won't be the end of the road for me. I feel good. I feel where I want to be, so I'll be waiting."

It's not all doom and gloom for Ingram, one of the most likable players in the Eagles locker room. For starters, Ingram was improved in leaps and bounds as a blocker. At Florida, Ingram was rarely, if ever, asked to pass block. In the 21-17 loss to the New York Jets that closed out the preseason, Ingram would hit the field as a second tight end and often stayed in to protect the quarterback.

"I definitely did a lot of blocking, but the most important thing was I actually did a pretty good job at it," he said.

And, if Ingram is as over the calf injury as he believes he is, perhaps the coaching staff will give the benefit of the doubt to a player with considerable upside.

"I hope so. I definitely hope so," he said. "I felt good tonight. It's just one of those things where I'll just be waiting to see what happens. But it won't be the end of the day whatever happens ... I'm going to try not to worry about it too much."

-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 10:27 a.m., September 3