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Doug Pederson never puts timetables on returns for injured players, not even for key offensive starters.
The Eagles head coach did provide a bit of an encouraging update on Alshon Jeffery on Wednesday when he hinted at the receiver returning to practice in the “near future.” Those words, as vague as they might sound, were about the closest thing to an answer he has given since Aug. 17. Pederson had stated that Jeffery was doing “extremely well” at that time but he wasn’t quite at 100-percent.
The Eagles placed the injured wideout on the Active/PUP list on July 28 as he recovers from offseason foot surgery. He still counts against the active roster and Philadelphia must trim it down to 53 players before 4 p.m. on Sept. 5. Now Jeffery is doing some “on-land running” and trending in the right direction, per Pederson.
“He’s doing his on-land running. We’ve increased that,” Pederson told reporters. “He’s looking really good. He’s feeling really good. And we’re hoping to get him out there soon with the team at some point here in the near future.”
The more important question: how is the 30-year-old doing with his rehab?
“I’ve been impressed with his workout, with his treatment, with his rehab,” Pederson said, “and we’ll see here in the next couple of weeks, but obviously as you mentioned, not going to put a timetable on him or make any decisions at this time.”
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Pederson Hypes Up Andre Dillard’s Development
It was a foregone conclusion, after the Eagles initially let Jason Peters walk, Andre Dillard was the starter at left tackle. That hasn’t changed through almost two weeks of padded practices.
Pederson has been “impressed” with the second-year tackle’s growth, including the way he showed up at camp both physically and mentally prepared to go. Remember, he added almost 20 pounds to his 6-foot-5 frame and now weighs 335 pounds.
“I’ve been real impressed obviously with Dillard and his growth,” Pederson told reporters. “Obviously his strength and what he did this offseason coming into camp mentally and physically prepared. He’s done a really nice job for us. He has really stepped in and embraced that role at left tackle.”
Dillard has manned the spot for the majority of camp — minus sitting out Thursday and parts of last week with a “leg muscle injury” — and mostly held it down. The 24-year-old did draw criticism on Wednesday when he allowed Joe Ostman to get around him and unload on Carson Wentz. That can’t happen.
Meanwhile, Jordan Mailata has been getting some burn at the left tackle spot. He started there at Thursday’s session with Dillard out. The former Australian rugby star is on the roster bubble and his future could be on the line over the next few days. The head coach assessed his development with luke-warm praise.
“Mailata is doing some good things. He flashes from time to time,” Pederson said. “He doesn’t have a lot of game experience, obviously, outside of preseason games in the past, but is doing a really good job for us there at left tackle, as well, and could potentially be someone that maybe could swing from left to right if need be.”
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