Getty DeSean Jackson
The Philadelphia Eagles are running out of bodies in Week 2.
As the Eagles played the Atlanta Falcons in an absolutely physical first half, three of their wide receivers exited the game due to injury. DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor all exited the first half with their own injuries.
Both Jackson and Jeffery were injured early in the first half and are both questionable to return.
Injury Updates: WR Alshon Jeffrey (calf) and WR DeSean Jackson (groin) are questionable to return.
Meanwhile, Agholor was injured late in the first half and was forced to enter the medical tent. It remains unclear if he’ll return during the second half of play. The Eagles are literally down to two healthy wide receivers and one tight end. Backup tight end Dallas Goedert re-aggravated his calf injury prior to the start of the game and has yet to play.
The Eagles also had a scare late in the first half when Carson Wentz temporarily exited the game due to the league’s concussion protocol. Josh McCown stepped in and completed a pass before Wentz returned during the Eagles’ final drive of the first half.
Nelson Agholor eventually returned during the second half of the game — however, Jackson and Jeffery remained sidelined due to their respective injuries.
Eagles Down to One Healthy Tight End
As I mentioned earlier, the injuries didn’t just take place during the game — they happened before the game even started.
Tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a calf injury during warmups and was forced to enter the locker room before the game even started.
Don’t know what happened but Dallas Goedert went back to lockeroom during warmups
This is notable because Philadelphia released Alex Ellis earlier in the week. That’s important because the Eagles only have one other tight end on the roster, Zach Ertz.
Goedert’s injury eliminates the Eagles from being able to line up in some of their favorite personnel formations — including the 12 personnel which includes two tight ends, as Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advanced Media pointed out before the game.
“Earlier in the week, the Eagles released tight end Alex Ellis from the roster and added him to the practice squad, leaving them with only two tight ends on the 53-man roster — Goedert and Zach Ertz.
The Eagles were likely going to run a lot of 12-personnel on Sunday — two tight ends, two receivers and a running back — against the Falcons, but that will be difficult without two tight ends on the roster.
The offensive coaches have been deploying left tackle Andre Dillard as a “tight end” but he’s really just an extra blocker. The first-round pick could be used in that role in 12-personnel, but that would essentially be a declaration of the Eagles running the ball, since Dillard doesn’t have experience as a pass-catcher.”
Eagles Suffer Injuries to More Positions in Week 2
To make matters even worse, defensive tackle Tim Jernigan and kick returner Corey Clement suffered their own respective injuries later on against the Falcons, leaving the Eagles severely short-handed. They’re both questionable to return as of this writing (late in the third quarter).
Injury Update: RB Corey Clement (shoulder) and DT Tim Jernigan (foot) are questionable to return.
One thing is for certain — the Eagles’ medical staff will be very busy following Week 2.
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