The Eagles have released their final injury report ahead of this weekend’s rivalry clash against the Dallas Cowboys. Here is everything you need to know.
Won’t you guide my Slay tonight?
Jim Schwartz will be able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Darius Slay is back in the fold. The lockdown corner was missing in last week’s loss to Arizona and that left the Eagles in a sticky situation at cornerback. Slay’s return couldn’t come at a better time. A receiving corps of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and a returning Michael Gallup all await.
Slay will likely be joined by Jalen Mills or Michael Jacquet on the outside, depending on matchup and the picture at Safety. With Kevon Seymour down, it leaves Jacquet as the sole backup on the outside. The UDFA is coming off of his first NFL start and one that contained plenty of positives. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles choose to drop him back into the deep end or instead lean on the versatility of Jalen Mills.
Eagles DL depth will be tested
It was announced this week that Defensive End Josh Sweat was going to be out for some time with a wrist injury, but losing Fletcher Cox could be more than problematic. On the outside, look for an expanded role for Vinny Curry.
Cox is one of the most durable defensive linemen in football and it would be relatively shocking to see him miss a game, but he was on the injury report last week. In the event he does, the Eagles still have a strong duo of Malik Jackson and Javon Hargrave, with UDFA Raeaquan Williams ready to step into a rotational role.
Punting on the punter
The Eagles worked out a punter earlier this week, but no move was made. This could be due to confidence in Johnston’s availability this week, but if they’re wrong and he ends up missing the game, it’s a huge hit to take.
Hopefully, Johnston comes out of concussion protocol by Sunday and is ready to continue what is currently looking to be a career-year after shattering franchise records in each of his previous two. If he isn’t, it looks as though Jake Elliott would pick up on punting duties after holding down the fort last week.
Other notable Eagles injuries
Richard Rodgers will be out for this game with an ankle injury, but since the return of Zach Ertz, his snaps have gone from an average of 30% per game down to about 5%. The loss isn’t a hefty one to take unless the Eagles sustain a further injury at the TE spot.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
