Kelly: Don’t Know What Henery’s Battling

Chip Kelly sees no reason to handle Alex Henery with kid gloves.

The Eagles’ kicker hit a 36-yard field goal against the Steelers, but later missed a 31-yarder.

Asked if Henery is battling a confidence issue, Kelly said: “I wish I could put my finger on it. I don’t know what he’s battling, but obviously you’ve gotta make a field goal like that. You’ve gotta make it.”

Maybe the addition of Cody Parkey from the Colts put additional pressure on him?

“I don’t know,” Kelly said. “But if outside influences are gonna affect you, then that’s something you’ve gotta deal with, you know what I mean? There’s gonna be competition at every position. And our job is to make sure we put the best players out there and the guys that give us the best chance.”

The offense and the defense turned in their best performances of the preseason against the Steelers. That’s good news as the Eagles count down to their Week 1 opener against the Jaguars on Sept. 7.

Yet there’s an unsettling feeling about the team’s kicking situation, visions of games potentially being decided by three points or less and Henery failing to come through.

Parkey got work on kickoffs against the Steelers, but did not attempt a field goal. He’ll get a closer look in practice, and the Eagles will keep their eyes open for guys who could be cut from other teams.

Asked to assess the competition, Kelly said: “I couldn’t assess it. We just got Cody, I mean literally, this afternoon. We obviously [needed] to bring someone else in, and that’s what we did. And then we’ll see.”