The Eagles have lost a few of their best players to injury over the last few weeks, and thankfully, there should be some much-needed returns to action when the playoffs arrive for Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson later in January.
But five minutes into the first quarter against the Saints Sunday afternoon, breakout pass rusher Josh Sweat was hit hard on a New Orleans run up the middle. He laid on his stomach for a while as he was attended to by doctors and trainers with several players on both teams taking a knee as he remained mostly motionless.
Able to move his arms but not much else, Sweat was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the field at the 9:19 mark. The entire Eagles team went onto the field to see Sweat off the field — a rare sight in a sport filled with many gruesome injuries.
Sweat has been a massively valuable piece on the Birds' revitalized defensive line. The d-end has 11 sacks this season and is one of three Eagles players in double digits (with Brandon Graham close, at 9.5). He also had a pick-six last week against the Cowboys. If his season is over, it's surely his best yet as a pro.
Losing Sweat for extended time — which appears all but certain gauging from how long it took for the team to safely get him off the field — is another piece of terrible news for a team hoping to have enough healthy stars to make a run at a Super Bowl. The injury appears to be to his neck.
Sweat was taken right to a local hospital right from the gridiron:
The Eagles say he has movement in all extremities and his hospital visit is precautionary.
UPDATE: [4:25 p.m.] — It looks like Sweat will be home soon.
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