Jalen Carter showed up at Eagles practice with a bright yellow cast on his right hand, and even from a distance the injury was impossible to miss. The wrist issue came from the Commanders game, but Carter didn’t sound like a player expecting to sit out Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
“Still out there practicing and ready to play,” said Carter after practice. “I feel good.
I'm playing this week, and that's the big part. That's the main thing right there, playing.”
Carter said he plans to suit up with the cast in place. He made it clear the injury isn’t going to change the way he attacks the game.
“It's just a cast and I'm still gonna strike, grab, and play the run and, pass rush,” he said. “That's pretty much it. I can't let it affect me.”
He wouldn’t get into the specifics of the wrist, though, and declined to say whether it was broken or sprained.
“I don't even know,” he said. “If I were to get into all that, if y'all wanna know, y'all can ask the guys around, but I like to keep my personal stuff personal.”
Even with the wrist wrapped up, Carter was productive in the opener. He played 94 percent of the defensive snaps in the win over the Commanders and finished with three tackles, a forced fumble, and a blocked PAT.
“It feels good,” said Carter. “Good treatment in there. You know them guys, they treated me right in there; just get me ready for the game we got this week.”
Not everyone around the team had the same upbeat tone. Safety Drew Mukuba wasn’t seen during the first 15 minutes or so that reporters are allowed to watch practice, and he was listed as not practicing on the injury report. He was later spotted in the locker room with a compression sleeve on his left leg.
When asked how he felt on the way out, Mukuba said, ‘Good.’ He followed that with both thumbs up, though it didn’t exactly land as a full-throated endorsement.
Jonathan Greenard also spoke about where he stands as he waits to make his Eagles debut after a pec strain. He said he believes he’s moving in the right direction.
“I think ultimately now I'm on the back end of where it's trajecting pretty good; really, really good,” he said. “The early days of it being sore, stiff, things of that sort are past.
Now, just getting back stronger and getting back stacking days so I can continue to do the job more than just one time. Obviously it's gonna be a long season.”
Greenard also opened up about the frustration of being sidelined while he tries to work his way back.
“Yeah, especially when I ain't played ball since December.,” he said. “I mean, anybody would be pissed off about that. So, I was just mad at, obviously, the timing of the injury, but at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason.
“All I can control is moving forward to my next step, and I feel like they've done a great job here with the rehab process. I'm feeling better. I'm getting, getting more and more confident in it, to where I can eventually get out there.”
There was also a little practice-day mystery up front. Fred Johnson lined up at left guard during warmups, but the offensive linemen were mostly out of the locker room afterward, so there was no chance to ask him about it.
With Landon Dickerson out, it could have been a sign of what’s coming Sunday, or it could have been the Eagles simply trying to keep things unclear. Either way, it wasn’t an answer the reporters got to pin down.
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Bigsbys role is worth watching as the Eagles turn their attention to Tennessee, a defense that gave up plenty of rushing yards in its opener. If Philadelphia wants to lean on the ground game to steady the offense, there is a clear path for Bigsby to become a bigger piece of the plan in Week 2. The question is whether the Eagles decide to keep spreading those snaps around or finally let one runner take on more of the load. [Read more 🡒]