The Philadelphia Eagles have released their second 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
Much like yesterday, the Eagles had three players miss practice, with the most noteworthy being A.J Brown. However, unlike yesterday, Brown disappeared from social media too, wiping both his Instagram and X accounts.
There could be some logical explanations for this. Perhaps Brown is channeling his inner LeBron James and ‘going dark’, or maybe he just wants to focus on the task at hand and remove the distraction from his peripheral vision. Whatever the reason may be, it unfortunately sparked up more needless discussions as fans debated themselves into a frenzy on Friday afternoon, with some even speculating that A.J is done for the year (which I don’t think is the case at all).
Hopefully, the speculation can be put to rest soon. It just feels like no matter what Brown does, the intention is always pure and the outcome is always the exact opposite of what he had hoped.
Sydney Brown and Reed Blankenship also missed practice for a second consecutive day. Brown was always going to be absent, having tore his ACL in the final game of the season, but Reed’s status is concerning.
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 back to a full participant
Jalen Hurts was a full participant on Friday and was seen throwing, which is a huge improvement over yesterday.
He took a hit to the middle finger on his throwing hand during the loss to the Giants and ultimately exited the game despite his best efforts. The question now is simply one of how much strength he has in a finger that was popped back into place just a few days ago, but an improved status is encouraging.
Good news
DeVonta Smith was a full participant in practice today once more, cementing the fact that he will be good to go for this weekend after missing week 18. If A.J Brown is unable to play, the Eagles will at least have one star wideout at their disposal.
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
