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The inside joke is the reporters covering NFL teams are usually out of shape. It’s not always true but some stereotypes exist for a reason.
On Wednesday, Doug Pederson decided to have a little fun with the assembled media by poking fun at their eating habits. The Eagles coach joked about reporters sitting up in the press box eating hot dogs and drinking diet cokes while the players were taking vicious hits on the field.
Pederson was trying to explain the difference between freak injuries randomly happening versus injuries being the unfortunate result of an extremely violent sport. It was a pretty funny comment, one that was met with a few raised eyebrows.
“I know you guys sit way up there and eat your hotdogs and diet cokes,” Pederson told reporters, “but if you were on the field listening to the collisions and things that these guys go through, that’s why I appreciate what every player does and injuries are part of it.”
He later pulled back a little by adding: “Maybe not the hot dogs.”
“I know you guys sit way up there and eat your hotdogs and diet cokes, but if you were on the field listening to the collisions and things that these guys go through, that’s why I appreciate what every player does and injuries are part of it.” Doug later joked, “Maybe not hotdog”
Eagles Injury Updates for Cowboys Game
The official injury report won’t come out until after practice today around 4 p.m. In the meantime, Doug Pederson provided a quick update on how his injured players were trending.
Four Eagles players — Derek Barnett (ankle), Lane Johnson (ankle), Nelson Agholor (knee), Jordan Howard (shoulder) — are dealing with significant injuries and the Eagles coach updated how they are doing. He sounded the most optimistic about Barnett who is “getting close” to returning. Vinny Curry has been starting in his place for the past two weeks.
Johnson is also close to a return after suffering a high-ankle sprain against New York. Halapoulivaati Vaitai took his spot at right tackle last week versus Washington. He has been venting about not being selected to the Pro Bowl.
Howard and Agholor remain “status quo,” according to Pederson. That indicates they still haven’t been cleared for contact and could be in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s NFC East showdown. Miles Sanders has replaced Howard as the team’s starting running back while Greg Ward has excelled in taking over the slot duties at wide receiver.
Eagles Sign LB Deshaun Davis
The Eagles had an open roster spot after placing Kamu Grugier-Hill on IR and promoting Bruce Hector. In a corresponding move, the team announced they had signed linebacker Deshaun Davis.
Davis, a sixth-round draft pick in 2019, spent two days on the Jaguars’ practice squad before being released on Sept. 4. The Bengals selected him with the 210th overall pick last April and he barely survived final roster cuts. The 23-year-old was a three-year starter at Auburn where he finished with 262 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.
The 5-foot-11, 234-pounder was praised by NFL scouts for being a “tackling machine” but his coverage skills are a question mark. According to Bleacher Report, Davis’ biggest asset was his experience playing in the pressure cooker of the SEC.
Per Matt Miller: Deshaun Davis has played against some of the NCAA’s best competition for the last four seasons and has been productive on an Auburn team routinely competing for national championships. NFL teams will like the experience and intelligence that puts him in the right place at the right time, but they’ll hope to hide some of his coverage and size concerns.
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