The Philadelphia Eagles have released their first injury report ahead of Monday’s Wild Card clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Birds are very much limping into the playoffs in terms of on-the-field play, but the injury report doesn’t hold too much hope either.
Eagles injury report: A.J Brown misses practice
The Eagles ran a full practice today instead of the walkthrough that usually takes place. This could be seen as a positive, with Nick Sirianni trying to drill into another layer from his team. He was without some key names, however.
Among the three player to miss practice was A.J Brown. The eclectic wideout left the week 18 loss to New York with an apparent leg injury, but walked back to the locker room under his own strength. He missed today’s practice with a knee injury, which isn’t a great sign ahead of Monday’s clash with Tampa Bay.
Sydney Brown missed practice, but only because it’s pointless for the Eagles to place him on IR. The rookie safety tore his ACL in the final game of the season, which is a real shame given how quickly he was developing.
Compounding Brown’s absence is the fact that Reed Blankenship missed today’s practice with a groin injury. The young Safety has become a stalwart on this defense and while losing one depth piece is somewhat manageable, losing a starter as important as Blankenship could be costly if he does indeed miss the game.
Jalen Hurts limited
A.J Brown wasn’t the only offensive player to leave week 18’s fixture early. Jalen Hurts exited the Giants game too. He took a hit to the middle finger on his throwing hand and left for a quick examination. He wouldn’t return despite his best efforts, something he told reporters today ‘probably wasn’t the best idea’ when asked if he’d thrown a football since.
It will be interesting to see how Jalen Hurts handles this. It’s not like him to miss a game, but an injury to your throwing hand is one of the worst minor setbacks a quarterback can have, with control and velocity both likely suffering drastically.
Britain Covey was also limited in practice and will be monitored accordingly. It would be a real shame for the Eagles to lose Covey just before the playoffs, with the return specialist being one of the lone constants on the team this year.
Good news
DeVonta Smith was a full participant in practice today and told reporters that he’s going to be available for Monday’s game, at least giving Sirianni and company some level of relief.
Darius Slay and D’Andre Swift were also full participants. Swift was held out of week 18, and Slay has been rehabbing a minor surgery. Getting both back for Monday night would be a huge win for the Birds.
Eagles vs Buccaneers
Philadelphia is set to lock horns with the Giants on January 15th at 8:15PM ET from Raymond James Stadium
AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
