Every cloud has a silver lining. Sure, the Eagles might be coming off of a loss that was tough to stomach and the road won’t get any easier anytime soon. But there is some good news as we come to the end of the week.
Rodney McLeod will be good to go this Sunday, making his first appearance since tearing his ACL 9 and a half months ago in a game against the Saints. His return is absolutely huge for a defense lacking depth and star-quality at the safety position.
K’Von Wallace is currently on IR with a separated shoulder, and Marcus Epps is nursing his own shoulder injury. Getting a player back of Rodney’s caliber of one thing, but of his experience and leadership is another entirely. This young defense has looked vulnerable to miscommunications on the back end at the best of times and one could assume that the lack of veteran experience has contributed to that greatly.
McLeod, when healthy, is easily one of the better safeties in the league and turned into one of the more versatile ones too during the Jim Schwartz era. It will be interesting to see how he fares against one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.
Elsewhere, Davion Taylor is at full health after dealing with a lingering calf injury. The linebacker position has come under plenty of scrutiny this season and while Taylor may not be the most polished player, he is easily among the most athletic and that quality could come in handy against the Chiefs.
Jordan Mailata remains absent with a knee sprain, giving way to Andre Dillard who will make his second consecutive start. This should act as an audition for teams looking for a potential starting tackle as the trade deadline draws closer.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)
