The Philadelphia Eagles dropped their final injury report on Friday for their Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and it’s a brutal one. Five players are officially OUT, including star running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith. This is gonna be a wild one across the pond, especially with some of the names stepping up.
Philly’s Backfield and O-Line Situation Is a Mess
Losing Saquon Barkley is a massive blow. The guy has been out of practice all week with a hamstring injury, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign. With Tank Bigsby already on injured reserve, the Eagles are now down to three healthy running backs on the active roster: Will Shipley, Dameon Pierce, and Carson Steele. Pierce and Steele just got called up from the practice squad this week. They definitely showed some flashes in the summer, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can make some noise in a regular season game. But honestly, with the Eagles’ offensive line situation, it might be tough for those guys to really pop off.
Speaking of that O-line, it’s straight-up chaos at center. Drew Kendall’s absence means they’re down to their third-string option. They had to call up Jake Majors from the practice squad, and get this: Majors is a 2025 undrafted rookie free agent who has never played a snap in an NFL regular season game. And the kicker? He “didn’t look very good in training camp this summer.” Yikes. That’s a huge gamble for a Week 5 start, especially against the Jags.
Receivers and Secondary Are Feeling the Squeeze Too
DeVonta Smith is missing his second game in a row with a hamstring issue, and Hollywood Brown is also out. That leaves the Eagles with just five wide receivers: Dontayvion Wicks, Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey. Wicks is gonna tough it out and suit up despite picking up a hamstring injury on Thursday that limited him in practice. Cooper actually saw more snaps and targets than Lemon last week, so we’ll have to watch if that trend continues in London. Then there’s Elijah Moore, who might get some occasional snaps on offense, but only “as long as he can figure out what he’s supposed to be doing this time.” Oof. Covey is probably stuck on punt return duty, which isn’t exactly a confidence booster for the passing game.
The secondary isn’t catching a break either. Marcus Epps is missing his second straight game, which means Andrew Mukuba and Cooper DeJean will start at safety in base packages. In nickel situations, DeJean slides into the slot, and Michael Carter II comes in on the back end of the defense. It’s a lot of moving parts.
The Eagles have Jonathan Greenard listed as questionable, which is super curious because he didn’t practice all week with an ankle injury he picked up against the Rams. Players who don’t practice rarely play, but he’s a veteran, so maybe he can contribute a little bit. He told Ashlyn Sullivan he’s day-to-day and felt better this morning, but he’s also “dealing with the mental frustrations of dealing with another injury.” That doesn’t sound great, does it? This Week 5 showdown in London is gonna be a true test of depth for the Eagles, especially with all these key players sidelined.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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