Eagles will be without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, while Saquon Barkley is questionable vs. Cowboys
The WR duo is out, but tight end Dallas Goedert is available. The team is banged-up on defense, too. Nolan Smith and Michael Carter II are out, and Jonathan Greenard and Jalyx Hunt are questionable.
The Eagles will be without their two top receivers for Monday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) were ruled out on the final injury report released Saturday afternoon. Smith is set to miss his third game of the season because of his lingering hamstring issue, while Wicks will miss his first. Wicks, the 25-year-old receiver, appeared to injure an ankle late in the Eagles’ loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Without Wicks, the Eagles will call on Makai Lemon to step up. The first-round rookie receiver out of Southern Cal said Friday that Monday’s game will provide him with a “big opportunity.”
“I’m just super excited to go out there with the guys,” Lemon said. “Put on a good performance. Had a great week of practice with all the guys. So just trying to go out there and execute. Couple guys are out, so really just next man up. I’ve got a bunch of trust in the guys next to me. Trust in the coaches and the game plan. So I’m definitely excited for this week’s matchup.”
Meanwhile, running back Saquon Barkley is listed as questionable for Monday’s game after missing the last two contests with a hamstring injury. He said Thursday that he would “love” to make his return against the Cowboys. He was a full participant in Saturday’s practice.
Tight end Dallas Goedert is available. He did not practice Thursday or Friday, but he returned on Saturday as a full participant.
Goedert said Saturday that the knee injury he has been dealing with is the same one that sidelined him for two games earlier this season. He said he had “a little bit of inflammation in there,” but once it settled down, he felt good enough to return to practice.
“Just making sure I tested out there full speed, but it felt good,” Goedert said. “For me, it’s just really letting the coaches know that I’m good and be able to be out there for whatever they need me for.”
» READ MORE: Unanswered questions in the Jalen Hurts saga | unCovering the Birds
The Eagles also are banged up defensively. Edge rusher Nolan Smith (concussion) was ruled out on Saturday’s injury report. He did not practice all week. Defensive back Michael Carter II (abdomen) also was ruled out and will miss his second straight game.
Jonathan Greenard (ankle) is listed as questionable. He said Saturday that he would be a game-time decision as he deals with what he described as an ankle sprain. Greenard practiced Thursday as a limited participant and did not practice Friday or Saturday, but he refuted the notion that he experienced a setback.
“Just stuff that we just still had to clean up and deal with that I was already dealing with,” Greenard said. “So just want to get … another perspective on it. And, shoot, I mean, I trust [their] judgment. We just had to see why we were still dealing with what we’re dealing with.”
Greenard, who signed a four-year, $100 million deal with the Eagles upon being traded from the Minnesota Vikings in April, has been active for just three games this season. A pectoral strain kept him sidelined throughout training camp and the start of the season, and now the ankle injury has him in and out of the lineup.
Outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt (knee/ankle) also is questionable. Hunt, the Eagles’ 2024 third-rounder out of Houston Christian, was injured in the Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and missed last week’s game against the Panthers.
Center Drew Kendall (ankle), who was active against the Panthers but did not start, is available to play against the Cowboys.
The Eagles’ four players on injured reserve who have returned to practice — guard Landon Dickerson (knee/pectoral), tight ends Eli Stowers (quadriceps) and Grant Calcaterra (back), and cornerback Jakorian Bennett (knee) — are listed as questionable. If the Eagles do not activate them this week, they have one more week to practice before the team must decide whether to activate them to the 53-man roster or place them on season-ending injured reserve.
The Eagles seem reluctant to address the handling of the Jalen Hurts blood clots saga, but the key questions involved in the story aren’t going anywhere. Throughout the week, in the absence of remarks from general manager Howie Roseman or team medical personnel, head coach Nick Sirianni was peppered by reporters. He’s offered few details in return. After speaking with high-ranking medical officials currently or previously employed by NFL teams, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane frames four central issues that remain unanswered, while also looking at what this situation means for Hurts’ future in Philadelphia. Listen here.
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