November 17, 2019
The Philadelphia Eagles are so injury-prone that they managed to come out of the bye week even more banged-up than we already thought they were. At least this week, they'll face a New England Patriots team that has its share of notable injuries as well, most notably along their offensive line.
Here's the final Eagles-Patriots injury report, with analysis.
• WR Alshon Jeffery: Even if Jeffery hasn't been very good this season, he is still clearly the Eagles' best receiver with DeSean Jackson done for the rest of the season. If he were playing, there's a decent chance he would have drawn the attention of elite CB Stephon Gilmore. With Jeffery out, the Pats can deploy Gilmore elsewhere, perhaps on Zach Ertz?
• LB Nigel Bradham: Nate Gerry has played better in recent weeks with Bradham out, but the Eagles could still really use the Nigel Bradham of old. With Bradham out, that means more snaps for Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and T.J. Edwards.
• RB Jordan Howard: Against a New England Patriots defense this Sunday that is outstanding against the pass, but perhaps a bit vulnerable against the run, Howard's potential unavailability is a major concern. His absence could mean Miles Sanders' first ever heavy workload, with soon-to-be newcomer Jay Ajayi backing him up.
UPDATE: It appears Howard won't play.
Eagles’ RB Jordan Howard, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Patriots with a shoulder injury, is not expected to play, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 17, 2019
New Eagles’ RB Jay Ajayi, signed only Friday, is expected to make his 2019 debut Sunday vs. Patriots, per source.
• LT Jason Peters: It is likely that Peters will resume his role as the starting LT along the Eagles' offensive line.
• DT Malik Jackson (IR): Originally, the loss of Jackson hurt most when the Eagles forced obvious passing downs, as the Eagles didn't have a clear replacement for him in those second-and third-and-long situations. They have since moved Brandon Graham inside on those downs, with Josh Sweat (and maybe soon-to-be Genard Avery?) coming in at LDE.
• DT Hassan Ridgeway (IR): Ridgeway is the most recent addition to the Eagles' IR. The Birds added a pair of undrafted rookie free agents to their roster off of practice squads a week ago to replace Ridgeway and the ineffective Akeem Spence.
• RB Darren Sproles: Sproles is done for the season with a hip flexor injury. Or maybe it's a quad. Whatever. We covered him on Friday.
• RB Corey Clement (IR): Clement worked his way back from a knee injury only to suffer a shoulder injury Week 2 against the Falcons. His shoulder wasn't getting better, so the Eagles shut him down for the season.
• CB Cre'Von LeBlanc (IR): LeBlanc is out with a Lisfranc injury. He was eligible to return to the active roster this week, but is not yet ready.
• OT Jordan Mailata (IR): Mailata has a back injury, but he's mainly on IR because the Eagles needed the roster spot.
• DE Joe Ostman (IR): Ostman was having a great camp, before he was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
The Patriots have seven guys listed as questionable. Nothing crazy here:
• C David Andrews (IR): Andrews had a serious issue in which he had a blood clot in his lung, and was placed on IR before the start of the season. Ted Karras is starting in place of Andrews.
• LT Isaiah Wynn (IR): Wynn is on IR with a toe injury. Marshall Newhouse is starting in place of Wynn.
• K Stephen Gostkowski (IR): The long-time Pats kicker, now in his 14th season, is done for the season with a hip injury. The Pats originally replaced Gostkowski with Mike Nugent, but cut him after 4 games in which Nugent was 5 of 8 on field goals and 15 of 16 on PATs. Nick Folk kicked for the Pats in their most recent loss to the Ravens. He went 2 of 2 on field goals and 2 of 2 on PATs. Folk did not kick in the NFL in 2018, and was 6 of 11 on field goals and 7 of 9 on PATs for the Buccaneers in 2017.
• FB James Develin: Fullback James Develin is a fullback. He's on IR.
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