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Nothing surprising here. The Eagles will be without star wide receiver DeSean Jackson Sunday in Dallas. It seemed to be trending that way all week.
The Eagles should get a much-needed boost in their beleaguered secondary, though. Head coach Doug Pederson confirmed that cornerback Jalen Mills would get the start for the first time in a year. He was a full participant at Friday’s practice and didn’t have any setbacks.
He also expressed confidence that Ronald Darby would be the starter on the other side despite the cornerback being limited all week at practice. He was officially listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. Of course, Pederson will be cautious with their snap counts.
“Darby, Jalen, those guys worked this week. They’ve been doing extremely well in practice,” Pederson told reporters. “Again, we will get through today, another day. Really want to test both those guys and see where they’re at, but they’ve both been doing really, really well.”
#PHIvsDAL Status Report
DeSean Jackson Ruled Out for Sunday’s Game
The status update for Jackson wasn’t all bad. While the speedster won’t be able to go, it continues to sound like his rehab for a pulled abdominal muscle has been going well. He’s officially listed day-to-day and there is a very outside shot he could suit up Sunday. Don’t expect that, though.
“He wants to be 100%, we want him to be 100%, so I’m not going to push him, I am not going to rush him,” Pederson said. “I want him to feel and be the DeSean that we know he’s capable of being before we put him back out there.”
DeSean Jackson also out here conditioning on a separate field with a trainer. #Eagles
Eagles left tackle Jason Peters was ruled out earlier in the week and rookie Andre Dillard will make his first career start.
What About Nigel Bradham’s Return from Injury?
Nigel Bradham is a “long shot” to play against the Cowboys as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. The linebacker hasn’t practiced all week and the coaching staff hasn’t seen enough to risk putting him out there. Remember, Bradham was seen wearing a boot leaving last week’s game.
His absence could prove really troublesome considering the team is already down a linebacker after cutting Zach Brown. The Eagles promoted preseason star Alex Singleton from the practice squad to the active roster to fill Brown’s spot. Head coach Doug Pederson announced that undrafted rookie T.J. Edwards will start and see an increased role in general on defense.
“These guys [the linebackers] are also core special teams’ players, so it’s a great opportunity,” Pederson told reporters. “But T.J. is one of those guys that we brought here for a reason, and now he gets an opportunity.”
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