PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles have an attention-grabbing choice to make on the subject of the game-day roster in Chicago on Sunday.
With heavy rain pelting South Philadelphia, the group practiced indoors Thursday with one open roster spot and two follow squad elevations at their disposal.
Star tight finish Dallas Goedert was again in his acquainted place of main his place group via drills. If all the things goes in keeping with plan for the remainder of the week, Goedert can be activated from injured reserve on Saturday and take up the Eagles’ open roster spot.
One of many PS elevations needed to go to new punter Brett Kern within the wake of Arryn Siposs’ ankle damage and the opposite would seemingly go to one among two gamers: latest particular groups stalwart Christian Elliss or security Anthony Harris, who returned to the group this week when he was signed to the PS.
The Eagles, after all, are with out beginning security C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who’s on IR with a lacerated kidney and never eligible to return till a minimum of Jan. 1 in opposition to his former group, the New Orleans Saints.
Dallas Goedert leads the tight finish drills at Eagles follow on Dec. 15, 2022.
Ed Kraca/SI Fan Nation Eagles At present
Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship was filling in admirably for Gardner-Johnson however he went down with a knee damage within the win over the New York Giants final Sunday.
Philadelphia feared the damage was important to Blankenship and dodged a bullet with the Center Tennessee State product being identified with a sprain that might price him a number of weeks however was not severe sufficient to contemplate IR, a choice that places gamers on the shelf for a minimum of 4 video games.
Blankenship missed follow Thursday though he was on the sector serving to throughout drills by throwing the soccer to the opposite safeties. He was additionally shifting comparatively effectively.
Within the quick time period, Jonathan Gannon and the protection may merely go to Ok’Von Wallace, who changed Blankenship in opposition to the Giants and carried out admirably in a season-high 46 snaps, making 5 tackles. Or they might elevate Harris, a 2021 starter on the place who has a protracted historical past with Gannon relationship again to their days collectively in Minnesota.
Bear in mind, Chicago is No. 1 within the NFL in speeding offense due to the athletic potential of second-year quarterback Justin Fields however No. 32 in passing as a result of the group hasn’t put any important weapons round its younger QB.
Wallace’s power as a participant is run help whereas Harris is the higher middle fielder.
When you elevate Harris which means you may’t elevate Elliss, who has given the much-maligned particular groups’ protection items a giant raise in opposition to each Tennessee and the Giants with 4 tackles. Regardless of taking part in in solely two video games Elliss is simply three tackles behind the group leaders on particular groups: Kyron Johnson and Zech McPhearson, who every have seven.
The Eagles have just one PS elevation left to make use of on Elliss and can in the end have to advertise him onto the 53 for the upcoming playoff run if he continues to excel within the third part. The identical will maintain true for Kern after the group makes use of up his three PS elevations.
GM Howie Roseman may play the juggling sport this week and postpone the selections till later however will possible have to reveal a number of the typical inactives – suppose Ian Ebook, Trey Sermon, Janarius Robinson, and Tyree Jackson now that Goedert is again – to waivers to make room for Elliss and Kern on the energetic roster.
The group may additionally wait on Harris till the extra explosive Dallas Cowboys are on the docket for Christmas Eve whereas hoping for the returns of each Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship shortly thereafter.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles protection for SI.com’s Eagles At present and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You may take heed to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody each morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming stay on YouTube. John can be the host of his personal present “Soccer 24/7 and a every day contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You may attain him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
