The Carolina Panthers are going to face a wildly different Philadelphia Eagles roster in Week 6 than they might’ve anticipated.
They already know for sure that Jalen Hurts is out. Saquon Barkley and Devonta Smith are both in doubt, too.
The Panthers already seemed to have an edge in this clash because they’re coming off a bye, while the Eagles are just returning from a Week 5 game in London.
But once you add the injuries in, this would be a brutal game for the Panthers to lose. The Eagles till have good players, but it sure seems like they’ll be missing some of their top talents.
Saquon Barkley Injury Update
Barkley wasn’t at Eagles practice on Thursday in the portion that’s open to media, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus.
He missed his first game of the season in Week 5 due to a hamstring injury.
Hamstrings are tricky, particularly for a position like running back, and so the Eagles appear to be playing it safe with Barkley.
The tricky part for the Eagles is that it appears the guy they started at RB in Barkley’s place in London, Will Shipley, is also hurt and probably going to miss Week 6.
If both are out, Dameon Pierce would get the running back start for the Eagles.
Carson Steele and Jaydon Blue are the other RBs that the Eagles have in their building to potentially contribute.
Devonta Smith Injury Update
That aforementioned McManus report indicates that Smith was warming up at Thursday’s practice but didn’t have a helmet on, suggesting he wouldn’t be participating in the bulk of practice.
Smith has missed two games already. He also has a hamstring injury.
And much like with Barkley, there’d be plenty of risk in rushing Smith back from the hamstring problem.
The Eagles have already been missing Hollywood Brown due to injury all season, and if Smith is out again, too, it’ll be tough for Philadelphia to move the ball through the air with backup QB Tanner McKee.
Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper operate as the top-three receivers when Smith is out. Cooper has proven to be a touchdown scorer, while Lemon is more of a catch-and-run guy in his rookie season. Wicks may be the most well-rounded of the three after coming aboard in the offseason in a trade from the Packers.
Other potentially active WRs for the Eagles if Smith is out are Elijah Moore and Britain Covey, who mostly handles return duties.
The Eagles also have two wideouts on the practice squad with Xavier Gipson and Erik Ezukanma, but they haven’t gotten to play yet this season.
The Panthers certainly are catching some breaks in this matchup.
Saquon Barkley, Devonta Smith Injury Updates Give Panthers More Good News