Getty Jordan Howard has the third-most rushing yards in the NFL since 2016.
The Eagles will be down four starters on “Monday Night Football.” None bigger than starting defensive end Derek Barnett.
The team was expected to be without starting running back Jordan Howard, wide receiver Nelson Agholor and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill. The absence of Barnett isn’t shocking, but it stings even harder considering he’s their second-leading pass-rusher with 4.5 sacks. On the positive side, the Eagles made preseason standout Daeshon Hall active.
The following players were all listed inactive for Philadelphia: Barnett, Howard, Agholor, Grugier-Hill, along with rookie Shareef Miller and guards Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta. Doug Pederson’s squad will only have three wide receivers in play, too. Alshon Jeffery and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will start on the outside, with Greg Ward manning the slot.
#NYGvsPHI Inactives
Rookie T.J. Edwards will get Grugier-Hill’s snaps at outside linebacker while Vinny Curry will take over for Barnett. Josh Sweat will also see an uptick in snaps with Barnett down.
Eagles Thin at Wide Receiver Position
The Eagles added Marken Michel to their practice squad last week. The team didn’t make him active for the team’s divisional showdown with the Giants.
Head coach Doug Pederson had briefly talked about possibly making an additional roster move if Nelson Agholor couldn’t play on Monday night. Well, Agholor won’t play and the Eagles did not make any corresponding roster move. They do have a third tight end — Josh Perkins — available in case of emergency.
“We’re very comfortable with the guys we have. If it’s three, it’s three,” Pederson told reporters. “We brought up Perk [Josh Perkins] a week ago to help us there, so that’s an addition there. Then we go play. We’ll discuss those over the course of the next couple of days leading up to the game. If we have to make a decision, we will.”
While Doug Pederson said he had confidence in Josh Perkins as a WR, I can’t recall seeing a TE/WR drop as many passes as he did in the last five training camps I’ve covered.
Evan Engram Out for New York Giants
The Giants will be without their starting tight end Evan Engram in this one. Engram is the team’s leading receiver with 44 catches for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
In addition to Engram, the following players are inactive for New York: quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Wayne Gallman, cornerback Corey Ballentine, guard Chad Slade, tackle Eric Smith and tight end Rhett Ellison.
#MNF Inactives List ⤵️
Details: t.co/Q7MDypVUqM
Eli Manning gets the start at quarterback for the Giants with Jones nursing a high ankle sprain. Head coach Doug Pederson talked about being prepared for trick plays in the game. The Eagles have been fooled by trick plays in three straight games, losses to New England, Seattle and Miami.
“You never know when they’re going to come,” Pederson said. “You just got to be prepared, your awareness and recognition, all that, and try to eliminate or at least minimize those types of plays.”
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