The Eagles are heading into their Week 5 London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shorthanded lineup, and Jonathan Greenard is among the biggest names sitting out.
Greenard has been dealing with an ankle injury he picked up in the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He did not take part in the team’s final practice of the week, and that left his status in doubt before the club made it official 90 minutes before kickoff.
He’ll miss his third game of the season.
The full inactive list the Eagles announced was Hollywood Brown, WR; Marcus Epps, S; DeVonta Smith, WR; Saquon Barkley, RB; Jonathan Greenard, EDGE; and Drew Kendall, C.
Greenard has now sat out three times this year after appearing in the last two games, and his availability is turning into a real issue. Philadelphia had been hoping he’d be back after working out on the field, but that comeback didn’t materialize, and the questions around the trade only keep growing.
The hit to the offense is even wider beyond Greenard. Barkley and Smith are both out, which strips away two of the Eagles’ key skill-position pieces, while Brown’s absence thins the wide receiver group even more.
That leaves Philadelphia leaning on Will Shipley at running back, with Darius Cooper moving into the starting lineup. Tank Bigsby is on IR, so Shipley gets the start with Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele behind him.
Up front, the Eagles are also dealing with more lineup churn. Drew Kendall won’t go, and Jake Majors is expected to step in after being elevated from the practice squad. If that happens, Majors will be the third center starter for Philadelphia this season.
There are still a couple of injury situations worth watching. Jalen Hurts dealt with a calf injury in practice, but he was still a full participant on Friday. Dontayvion Wicks hurt his hamstring on Thursday, though he remains available for Week 5.
In the secondary, Epps is out for a second straight game, which means Michael Carter II will continue in his place. Carter handled his first start well in the Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, so the Eagles should still have some stability there.
Even so, this has the look of Philadelphia’s toughest regular-season test so far. With so many starters missing and backups stepping into major roles, the Eagles are going to have to piece it together and find a way through it.
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