Sunday Injury Update
The Eagles downgraded quarterback Jalen Hurts to questionable for Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to an illness. He will travel to Seattle separately from the team. Hurts was added to the injury report on Friday after not participating in practice. However, he had no game status designation at the time.
Marcus Mariota would be in line to start if Hurts is unable to play. Mariota has started 74 career regular-season games, including 13 last season for the Atlanta Falcons.
In fact, both starting quarterbacks are questionable as Seattle's Geno Smith is dealing with a groin injury. Smith suffered the injury in practice prior to last Sunday's game against San Francisco. He went through a pregame workout and was declared inactive. This week, Smith was limited in practice and will once again be a game-time decision, according to Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll.
Drew Lock started for Smith last Sunday in San Francisco and finished 22-for-31 with 269 yards passing, two touchdowns, and two interceptions despite limited practice reps. The Seahawks led 10-7 after the first quarter, but eventually lost 28-16.
Saturday's Injury Report
Head Coach Nick Sirianni confirmed a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter that Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week. Slay is officially out for Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks. There is no timetable for his return, although Schefter's report indicated that it would not be a season-ending injury.
Sirianni said he had the entire week to gameplan around Slay's absence.
"We got the right guys in place," Sirianni said, not naming a specific replacement. Josh Jobe, Eli Ricks, and Kelee Ringo are all options to play. Ricks and Ringo, both rookies, combined for 40 defensive snaps last Sunday night in Dallas.
The Eagles will face a Seattle wide receiver corps that boasts 6-foot-4, 235-pound DK Metcalf, a Pro Bowl selection with 864 yards and seven touchdowns this season; veteran Tyler Lockett, who boasts four straight 1,000-yard seasons; and rookie standout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has assimilated nicely into the offense.
Of course, it remains to be seen who will be throwing the Seahawks wideouts the ball as quarterback Geno Smith missed last Sunday's game with a groin injury, and his status is up in the air for Monday night. He is one of five Seahawks who is questionable, along with safety Jamal Adams (knee), linebacker Nick Bellore (knee), cornerback Devon Witherspoon (hip), and wide receiver Dee Eskridge (ribs).
Slay was one of five Eagles who did not practice on Saturday, along with linebacker Zach Cunningham (knee), quarterback Jalen Hurts (illness), right guard Cam Jurgens (pectoral), and defensive end Josh Sweat (personal reasons). Hurts and Sweat have no game status designations for Monday night and will play. However, Cunningham and Jurgens are both out.
The Eagles prepared both Sua Opeta and Tyler Steen to be ready to start if Jurgens is unable to play.
"We like the practice that Tyler and Sua have had this week," Sirianni added. "We'll see on Cam. He's feeling better every day. He's doing a good job of rehabbing, but I like the depth that we have at the offensive line."
At linebacker, the Eagles will rely on Shaquille Leonard, Nicholas Morrow, and Ben VanSumeren. Leonard played 14 snaps on defense in his Eagles debut last Sunday in Dallas.
"I'm pretty comfortable and confident in my ability," Leonard said. "Taking it day by day, learning more and more each day, and taking it from there."
Safety Reed Blankenship, who exited last week's game with a concussion, was once again a full participant on Saturday and is good to go for Monday night.
Friday's Injury Report
The Eagles' secondary is closer to being at full strength as starting safety Reed Blankenship was a full participant in Friday's practice.
Blankenship exited last Sunday's game against the Cowboys due to a concussion. He was limited on Thursday.
Other than that, the Eagles' injury report remained the same.
Three players were sidelined: linebacker Zach Cunningham (knee), right guard Cam Jurgens (pectoral), and cornerback Darius Slay (knee).
The final injury report for the week comes out on Saturday afternoon.
Thursday's Injury Report
With an extra day before Monday night's showdown in Seattle, Head Coach Nick Sirianni changed up the script, holding a full practice to start the week instead of a walkthrough.
"Everything is fluid in attempts to get better," Sirianni said on Thursday. "I feel like this is a chance for us to get better in the sense of we need to go out there and work on our fundamentals. We're late in the year. Sometimes late in the year, you don't have this opportunity because you have to balance then being rested, you got to balance them playing fresh, while also being physically and mentally ready to go."
Three players did not practice for the Eagles on Thursday: linebacker Zach Cunningham (knee), guard Cam Jurgens (pectoral), and cornerback Darius Slay (knee).
Safety Reed Blankenship, who exited Sunday night's game early due to a concussion, was a limited participant on Thursday.
"I'm excited to have Reed back," said rookie safety Sydney Brown, who took Blankenship's spot on the field following the injury. "I was excited for the opportunity. I just had to fill shoes and make sure I picked up where he left off. It's going to be great to have him back this week and see him do his thing because I know he didn't want to leave that game."
Blankenship would have to clear the NFL's concussion protocol before he can return to game action.
