Everything was Sunny in Philadelphia on Monday…at least until around 4PM. After securing their spot in the postseason, the Eagles announced that 12 players have been placed on COVID reserve.
S: Rodney McLeod
S: Marcus Epps
CB: Avonte Maddox
LB: Alex Singleton
LB: Genard Avery
DT: Fletcher Cox
TE: Dallas Goedert
TE: Jack Stoll
C: Jason Kelce
G: Nate Herbig
RB: Boston Scott
RB: Jordan Howard
You can make the argument that eight of the twelve players headed to the COVID list are key contributors to the Eagles this season and losing any of them would be a huge blow. Jason Kelce and Nate Herbig have been superb this season and the Eagles and a huge catalyst behind the dominant rushing attack. The team are already without Miles Sanders so the idea of losing even more burst at the RB position is a worrying one.
The good news is that recently relaxed NFL rules will allow these players to suit up on Saturday night provided that they recover in time. If they don’t, these are some big names to lose and with as many as 12 missing, there’s a very strong chance that the Birds will be shorthanded ahead of their week 18 clash with the Cowboys.
When looking at the bigger picture, there’s no need to worry about playoff seeding here. The berth has been secured and while the idea of a slightly easier opponent could be alluring to the coaching staff, it’s not worth risking starters for. This game will have little meaning for both teams in the grand scheme of things so if there was ever a week to have a sizeable COVID setback, this is the one.
This is obviously worrying because of how many teams have caught the virus in such a short space of time, but the Eagles will be given a fairly big window to ensure that the majority of these players are ready to go by next weekend when it really counts.
(Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
