In a slightly surprising move, the Eagles have placed both Nate Gerry and Genard Avery on Injured Reserve.
Gerry appeared on the injury report earlier this week with an ankle injury and was joined by Avery who picked up an elbow injury. Both players had missed practice all week and will now revert to short-term IR.
The loss of Gerry will probably be an impactful one for the Eagles – largely because it’s finally going to force Schwartz to use someone other than the converted safety who has had a terrible opening half of the season. He may have 57 tackles (team-leading) and a sack to his name, but a simple eye test highlights just how awful in coverage he had been.
With Gerry down and T.J Edwards on the mend, expect to see more from the UDFA along with names like Alex Singleton, who is really beginning to make his presence felt on defense. If the duo along with names like Duke Riley can do just fine without Gerry in the lineup, it might actually give Schwartz a realization that he actually brings very little to the defense.
As for Avery, his injury was picked up in practice after playing in 0 snaps against the Giants. His snap-count had reduced in four consecutive weeks prior to the injury, but the move to IR means the team won’t be able to move him ahead of the deadline, if that’s something they were willing to explore.
Avery isn’t a huge loss to the team as he was barely playing. Vinny Curry’s return to the EDGE4 role has all but kept him on the sidelines.
It’s never a good sign when injuries continue to plague a roster, but the Eagles are closer to a clean bill of health than they are from impending doom. Jalen Reagor, Jason Peters, and Dallas Goedert should all be back this week.
The Eagles will face the Cowboys this Sunday night under the primetime lights.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
