The Eagles’ injury list got even uglier on Sunday, and the running back situation may be the hardest to ignore. Philadelphia entered Week 6 already stripped down at the position, then watched another back leave the game before it was over.
Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley were all out against the Carolina Panthers, forcing the Eagles to lean on Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele. That arrangement barely held together. Steele went down with a shoulder injury and did not return, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
The damage didn’t stop there. Later in the game, Philadelphia lost more pieces on defense when standout defensive tackle Jordan Davis exited with an ankle injury and did not come back, per the CBS broadcast. Pass rusher Nolan Smith also suffered a concussion and was ruled out for the rest of the day.
The Eagles are already navigating a long list of absences. Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks after a blood clot was found in his calf, with the possibility that the injury could end his season if it is not addressed. Philadelphia is also without Lane Johnson, who retired midseason, along the offensive line.
There were a couple of encouraging returns. Dallas Goedert has recently come back from injury, and DeVonta Smith played Sunday after missing time with a hamstring issue. Even so, it wasn’t enough to lift the Eagles past Carolina in a 25-14 loss.
That defeat dropped Philadelphia to 2-4, and the record has the season teetering early. The NFC East has not been taken over by a dominant team, which leaves the Eagles with room to climb back into the picture. Still, that path only gets real if the roster starts coming back together.
For now, Barkley’s Week 7 status remains unresolved. The Eagles at least have an extra day to sort through it before facing the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
In Other News...
Eagles Offense Faces A Brutal Week 6 Test No One Wanted
The Eagles have spent the first month trying to hold things together on offense, and the timing could not be worse heading into Week 6. Philadelphia has two wins, but the roster has been thinned by the retirement of Lane Johnson, the trade of Cam Jurgens and injuries to Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith, all while the unit has struggled to find rhythm in both the passing and running game.
A matchup with Carolina only adds to the challenge, even if the Panthers are hardly a shutdown defense themselves at 2-2 with an offense that has produced points while also giving some back. The larger issue for Philadelphia is who will be under center and how much the Eagles can ask of an offense already short on answers, with Tanner McKee expected to step in and try to steady a group suddenly facing a very different kind of test. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Enter Panthers Game With A Backfield Problem Fans Feared
The Eagles walked into their Week 6 matchup against the Panthers already dealing with the kind of backfield crunch they had hoped to avoid. Their inactive list included Saquon Barkley, along with several other notable names, and the injuries have left Philadelphia without its top three running backs just as the offense tries to keep moving through another weekly reshuffle.
There was at least a little stability on the line, with Drew Kendall active after being questionable and Jake Majors expected to start at center again. Even so, the Eagles are leaning on a group that includes several players making their NFL regular-season debuts, which leaves the depth chart looking a lot thinner than anyone around the team would prefer heading into a road test. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Defense Faces A Panthers Test That Suddenly Looks Much Tougher
A matchup with Carolina looked manageable on paper not long ago, but the Panthers have made it a little harder to dismiss. Theyre 2-2 and, more importantly for the Eagles, their offense is moving with more purpose than it did a year ago, showing real gains in tempo, volume and efficiency as Bryce Young settles in. Young has been central to that jump, with Jalen Coker emerging as another key part of the passing game, which gives Philadelphia a different kind of test than the one many expected when the schedule first circled this one.
For an Eagles defense that has spent the early part of the season trying to keep its edge, this is the kind of opponent that can expose any lapse in discipline. The Panthers are no longer just a soft landing spot on the calendar, and with Carolina drawing more attention as a possible NFC South factor, the challenge becomes less about reputation and more about whether Philly can slow an offense that has started to look increasingly comfortable. The wider football backdrop around this game also keeps pointing toward the future, with college names like Jeremiah Smith, Charlie Becker, Will Echoles and Leonard Moore already working into draft conversations. [Read more 🡒]