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Inside: Ex-Eagle Jon Runyan signs with the Chargers

Winston Justice's remarkable ascension from bust to solid starter reached another level Tuesday.

The Eagles rewarded Justice for his perserverance and performance with a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2013 season. According to ESPN.com, the deal is worth $18.15 million, including a $6 million signing bonus.

"It feels nice to have that sense of security," Justice said Tuesday in quotes provided by the team. "But it feels better that the coaches have that much faith in me now. That aspect feels better than the whole financial security part of it."

Signing Justice to an extension creates a degree of uncertainty concerning Shawn Andrews' future with the Eagles.

When healthy, the two-time Pro Bowler is considered one of the NFL's top offensive linemen. But Andrews, who was supposed to be the starting right tackle this season, has not played for almost two full seasons because of back problems.

Andrews, who is signed through 2015, seemed on track to play this season after sitting out all of training camp but announced that his back problems had resurfaced just days before the Eagles' season-opener at Carolina. He was placed on injured reserve and has spent the entire season rehabbing in Marina Del Rey, Calif.

"I had dinner with Shawn before the San Diego game," Andrews' brother, Eagles guard Stacy Andrews, told The Press last week. "He's doing OK. He has his good days and his bad days. But he's doing this thing the right way."

Meanwhile, Justice took full advantage of Andrews' absence to prove that the Eagles did not waste a second-round pick on him in 2006.

That was the prevailing belief for the previous two seasons. Justice's first NFL start in 2007 was a disaster. He replaced injured Tra Thomas against the New York Giants and surrendered at least four of the 12 sacks the Giants recorded against quarterback Donovan McNabb.

He served as a reserve guard last season and entered training camp this season as Andrews' backup at right tackle. He was elevated to the starting offense when Andrews started experiencing pain following a conditioning test the first day of camp.

"I think every player has his ups and downs and after that (Giants) game I was down for a long time," Justice said. "I had an opportunity to come back and show the coaches I could play and show the fans I could play and I tried to make the most of the opportunity.

"I never imagined myself in this position (as a starter) and I don't think anyone could, really. I think I've come a long way. One of the things that my offensive line coach (Juan Castillo) always told me was that hard work pays off, and that's the mindset I took. Even when things were looking bad, I always believed and had faith and I think it's paying off now."

Justice got to an encouraging start by battling Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers to a stalemate in the season opener. The next nine games produced similar results.

Andrews might be more talented, but Justice has been reliable. Along with center Jamaal Jackson, he was the only Eagles' lineman to start all 10 games. And he played well enough that the team resisted the urge to re-sign Jon Runyan, who played every game at right tackle from 2000-2008.

"I know everybody talks about the Giants game, but we see Winston every day in practice," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said in quotes provided by the team. "There was never a point where we said, 'This guy can't play.' We saw enough that we had faith in Winston. But he had to prove that he could line up against the top guys and be productive and he's done that this year.

"He's turned into a very good player for us. He's playing as well as anybody we have on the offensive line."

Extra points: The Eagles did not have the same faith in second-year cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu. He was cut Tuesday to make room for cornerback Geoffrey Pope on the 53-man roster.

Pope played in four games for Cincinnati this season before being re-assigned to the Bengals' practice squad. He also played in two playoff games for the New York Giants in 2007, the season the Giants won the Super Bowl.

Ikegwuonu, a fourth-round draft pick last season, never panned out. He missed all of 2008 while recovering from offseason knee surgery. He opened this season on the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster two weeks ago.

His future appeared in doubt when the Eagles signed cornerback Ramzee Robinson to replace injured Ellis Hobbs two weeks ago. Robinson was a key part of the defense against San Diego and Chicago while Ikegwuonu sat the bench.

According to ESPN.com, Runyan was due to fly to San Diego to work out for the Chargers on Tuesday.

Contact David Weinberg:

609-272-7186

DWeinberg@pressofac.com

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