The Eagles finished up their final practice of the week. Two key starters are officially game-time decisions.
Receiver Nelson Agholor (knee) and defensive end Derek Barnett (ankle) are listed as questionable for Monday night’s game versus New York. It looks less and less likely either one will play after missing practice all week.
Meanwhile, starting linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is officially out as he continues to go through the league’s five-step concussion protocol.
“Might be more game-time with both of those guys,” head coach Doug Pederson said of Agholor and Barnett. “They’re both working extremely hard.”
Pederson also elaborated on what exactly happened to Grugier-Hill last week when he collided with a Dolphins player. He was immediately taken out and checked out for a concussion, then returned to the game and played another 35 snaps.
“I don’t want to speculate on time of that [how many snaps he played],” Pederson said. “I just know that when he came in on Thursday he was talking about the symptoms, and so we evaluated him at that time and had to put him in the protocol.”
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Right tackle Lane Johnson also missed practice for a second straight day. It was due to personal reasons and he carries no injury designation. Running back Jordan Howard remains sidelined with a nagging shoulder injury and he’s listed as questionable.
Doug Pederson Explains Reason for Padded Practice
Eagles coach Doug Pederson was in a chatty mood on Saturday as he explained the reasons behind Wednesday’s padded practice. There had been a report that the decision angered some players on the team’s leadership council.
“We’re coming off a long break from Sunday to Thursday, and so I just wanted to put the pads back on and just work through some things that day,” Pederson said. “Got a great response.”
Pederson added that the idea for the padded practice entered his mind after the Patriots game. Teams are allowed “11 games or 11 weeks” of padded practice during the season, per NFL rules. The Eagles last practiced in pads in Week 11 and Pederson still has two more padded practices he can burn.
Eagles Hint Jay Ajayi Still Recovering from Old Injury
Jay Ajayi injured his ACL last year and had offseason surgery to repair it. The Eagles signed Ajayi but have used the running back sparingly this season.
Ajayi has seen 16 total snaps on offense and has rushed eight times for 25 yards in two games. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson seemed to indicate that Ajayi may not be back at 100-percent from his old injury.
“It’s a process with him,” Pederson said. “But we understand who he is and the injury that he’s coming off of, so we’re careful with that. But, at the same time, he’s a bigger powerful guy that we can use in spots.”
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Eagles Injury Report: One Starter Ruled Out, Two ‘Game-Time Decisions’