December 25, 2021

Eagles-Giants injury report, with analysis

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Heading into Week 16, the Philadelphia Eagles are a relatively healthy team, though they'll be playing on a short week after the NFL needlessly postponed their Week 15 game from Sunday to Tuesday. Conversely, the New York Giants have a slew of players on injured reserve, including starting quarterback Daniel Jones, as well as some players on the COVID list.

Here is the Eagles-Giants injury report, with analysis.

Friday's report:

Player	Injury	*Wed	**Thurs	Fri	Status
LT Jordan Mailata	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	-
RB Miles Sanders	Quad	DNP	DNP	DNP	-
DT Fletcher Cox	Rest	DNP	Full	Full	-
QB Jalen Hurts	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Full	-
RT Lane Johnson	Rest	Limited	Full	Full	-
RB Jordan Howard	Knee	Limited	Full	Full	-
C Jason Kelce	Rest	DNP	Full	Full	-
TE Jack Stoll	Knee	Limited	Limited	Full	-

*The Eagles didn't practice on Wednesday. Estimates only.
**The Eagles had a walk through on Thursday. Estimates only.

• Thursday: Jordan Mailata's inability to practice (estimated) is interesting, for now, given that the Eagles already have three offensive linemen on the COVID list (see below). Otherwise, there are no surprises here.

• Friday: Mailata and Sanders didn't practice all week, but they have no injury designations for this game, so they're good to go. The Eagles also got great news with Landon Dickerson's return from the COVID list

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• DE Brandon Graham (IR): Graham's season is over with a ruptured Achilles. On the field, Graham was arguably the Eagles' best defensive player in 2020. It's clear since his loss that the Eagles miss his contributions as a pass rusher and run stopper, and the Eagles have not been able to adequately replace him. Off the field, Graham has unlimited energy and positivity, and he is a player that you just want to have around if you're a head coach in the NFL.

• RG Brandon Brooks (IR): Brooks suffered a pectoral injury against the 49ers. It's "only" a pec strain, as opposed to a tear, so while he'll likely miss time (about 8 weeks, per Lane Johnson) on injured reserve, it was initially not thought to be a season-ending injury. Brooks got hurt Week 2, so Week 12 was 10 weeks. Nick Sirianni has been repeatedly asked about Brooks' possible return, but no useful information has been given.

• LG Isaac Seumalo (IR): Seumalo was carted off the field in the Eagles' loss to the Cowboys. His season is over after having surgery for a Lisfranc injury.

• OL Jack Driscoll (IR): Driscoll's season is over after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Giants. Driscoll showed promise as a rookie in 2020, and he was a valuable player for the Eagles in 2021, initially filling in for Lane Johnson at RT, and later at RG in relief of Brandon Brooks. He played 512 snaps for the Eagles in 2021, and has looked like a capable starter, but his inability to stay on the field is concerning.

• LB Davion Taylor (IR): Taylor started six games for the Eagles. He had his best game as a pro in Denver Week 10, when he forced a pair of fumbles against the Broncos, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Darius Slay. Taylor was drafted as a raw prospect out of Colorado during the 2020 NFL Draft, and while he still has a ways to go as a professional linebacker, he has made positive strides during the 2021 season. He has been replaced in the lineup by Alex Singleton.

COVID list

LG Landon Dickerson
LT Andre Dillard
OL Le'Raven Clark
DE Ryan Kerrigan

The most noteworthy player here, of course, is Dickerson, who did not play against Washington. Sua Opeat filled in, and played reasonably well enough.

Friday's report:

Player	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Status
OG Ben Bredeson	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
RB Gary Brightwell	Neck	DNP	Limited	DNP	Out
DE Leonard Williams	Triceps	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
LT Andrew Thomas	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
RB Saquon Barkley	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
TE Kyle Rudolph	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
FB Cullen Gillaspia	Shin	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
DL Austin Johnson	Foot	Limited	Limited	DNP	Questionable
WR Collin Johnson	Hamstring			DNP	Out
WR Kadarius Toney	Oblique / COVID ramp up			Limited	Questionable
S J.R. Reed	COVID ramp up			Limited	Questionable
OLB Oshane Ximines	COVID ramp up			Limited	Questionable

• Thursday: Williams is probably the Giants' best defensive player, so his progress will be worth following. Thomas is the other player to watch, as he is probably the best starter on a dreadful Giants offensive line.

• Friday: Williams, Thomas, and Barkley are all good to go, which is probably the biggest takeaway here.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• QB Daniel Jones: Say what you will about Jones, but the Giants are a lot worse without him. The Giants appear likely to start second-year quarterback Jake Fromm, who is filling in for the benched Mike Glennon.

• LB Blake Martinez: Martinez is a tackle machine whose season over after suffering a torn ACL. From 2017 to 2020, Martinez has averaged 148.5 tackles per season.

Blake Martinez	Tackles	NFL Rank
2017	144	T-1
2018	144	2
2019	155	2
2020	151	3

His absence against a red-hot rushing attack isn't ideal.

• WR Sterling Shepard: 36 catches for 366 yards and 1 TD in 7 games this season.

• S Jabrill Peppers: Peppers was a starting safety for the Giants. Torn ACL, done for the season. 91 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT in 2020. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Julian Love.

• C Nick Gates: Gates was the Giants' starting center to begin the season. He suffered a gruesome broken leg Week 2 in Washington, and his season is over. The current starting center is Billy Price, who the Giants traded for near final cuts.

• LG Shane Lemieux: Lemieux began the season as the starting LG, but his season is over after having surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his knee. His replacement was initially Gates, who filled in at LG with Price taking over at center, but with Gates' season also over, Matt Skura has had to fill in at LG.

• CB Darnay Holmes: Promising, tough second-year corner.

• WR Dante Pettis: In three games with the Giants this year, Pettis had 10 catches on 16 targets for 87 yards and a TD.