The Eagles are walking into Week 5 with the kind of injury mess that can wreck a game plan before kickoff. After four weeks, Philadelphia is already dealing with a long list of unavailable or uncertain players, and the damage was on full display in the 24-20 Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. By the end of that game, the Eagles didn’t have nine starters on the field, with seven players already ruled out beforehand and four more getting hurt during the action.
That’s the backdrop heading into the London matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the biggest question is simple: who can actually suit up?
Landon Dickerson is already on IR with the knee issue that first popped up in training camp and then flared again in the Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders. He still has at least one more game to miss before he’s even eligible to return, and even that may be optimistic.
Zack Baun was unable to practice or clear concussion protocol in time for the Rams game because of the short week, but there’s hope he can get through the process this week and make it back against Jacksonville.
DeVonta Smith sat out his first game of the season after missing practice last week with a hamstring injury. The word on him points to a multi-week absence, so the Jaguars game looks like a stretch. Week 6 or 7 is the more realistic target.
Dallas Goedert also remains sidelined after missing his second game of the year against the Rams. He hasn’t practiced over the last two weeks, and the original expectation was a three- to four-week recovery. He may be a game or two away, which makes this week feel early.
Saquon Barkley is dealing with a hamstring injury after already working through a stinger in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. He couldn’t go against the Rams, even though he hoped to push through it, and the hamstring issue adds another layer of caution.
The Eagles’ injury list also includes several players whose availability is still very much up in the air. Fred Johnson missed the Rams game with a knee injury, and his status is unclear, though the team could use him with new concerns about Lane Johnson.
Hollywood Brown sat out a second straight game because of an ankle injury that has kept him off the practice field, and the hope is that he could be back in Week 5 or 6 since he’s not on IR. Marcus Epps popped up late with a groin injury and didn’t play against Los Angeles, leaving his Week 5 status unresolved for now.
Quinyon Mitchell left in the second half with a knee injury and did not return, forcing Jonathan Jones into the lineup. Jonathan Greenard also exited in the second half, this time with an ankle injury, and there’s no timetable for his return after he already missed all of training camp and the first two games with a pectoral injury.
Tank Bigsby went down in the fourth quarter with a knee injury and did not return, though there’s hope he could be ready for the Jaguars game. That status hasn’t been determined yet, and he’s been banged up for the last couple of weeks.
Then there’s Lane Johnson, whose situation is the most unclear of all. He was ruled out at the last second for personal reasons, and he also missed time in training camp for a personal issue. With retirement rumors swirling, Eagles fans are left waiting to see whether he even travels with the team to London.
In Other News...
Rex Ryan Just Poured Fuel On A Brutal Eagles Debate
Rex Ryan added another layer to the conversation around Philadelphias offense after the loss to the Rams, going straight at the Eagles offensive line and calling it abysmal. The criticism landed because it came after a night when the group struggled to protect the quarterback, with pressure showing up repeatedly and injuries thinning out a unit that already had little margin for error without Lane Johnson on the field.
Jordan Mailata, though, isnt sounding the alarm in the same way. The veteran tackle said he believes the group can get better as the season goes on, which is the part of this debate that matters most for the Eagles: whether the lines rough start is just early-season turbulence or the first sign of a longer problem up front. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Foles Just Reopened A Tough Jalen Hurts Debate
Nick Foles critique of Jalen Hurts after the Eagles Week 4 loss to the Rams landed because it went straight to the part of Hurts game that has always invited scrutiny: how quickly he sees it and how decisively he lets it go. Philadelphias offense has been built around Hurts ability to extend plays and create with his legs, but in a game where the passing rhythm never really settled, Foles pointed to timing and pocket poise as the issue, saying Hurts appeared to freeze rather than trust the throw.
Hurts line against Los Angeles was uneven enough to keep the conversation alive, even with two touchdown passes and no interceptions. After the game, he didnt try to swat away the broader concern, instead framing it as part of the teams ongoing work and development. For the Eagles, that leaves the same familiar question hanging in the background: whether Hurts can keep growing into a more complete passer without losing the parts of his game that make the offense go. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than This Loss
The Eagles left Los Angeles with another tight loss, a 24-20 defeat to the Rams that dropped them to 2-2 and extended a skid that has started to chip away at the early-season optimism. Even on a night when Philadelphia was dealing with a depleted roster and had just 47 players active, there were still moments that suggested the offense could find enough answers to stay in games, including points off two interceptions.
But the larger concern is the growing list of missing or limited playmakers, with Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith among the names that have complicated the margin for error. Philadelphia also continued to sputter on third down and in total yardage, the kind of issues that make a two-game slide feel less like bad luck and more like a team searching for stability before the season gets any less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]