Eagles' Doug Pederson thinks Jason Peters can play this week against Washington

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that left tackle Jason Peters should be able to start the season finale Sunday.

“J.P. felt good. We’ll see how he gets through the walk-through today, and still would expect him to be in the lineup Sunday,” Pederson said.

Peters was listed as a nonparticipant in the practice report, which was a projection, given that the team did not actually practice.

Peters left the Houston game this past Sunday after playing only five snaps, replaced by Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who then struggled against Texans star Jadeveon Clowney.

“I thought there were some highs and some lows with ‘Big V,’ ” Pederson said. “He had a tough task. We know Clowney is a tremendous football player and he’s very active.”

Pederson said that Vaitai, who has filled in for Peters and for right tackle Lane Johnson when injuries have intruded, “has been one of the kind of anchors for that offensive line, with all the moving parts we’ve had all season … I think as the game went on, though, he did settle down and played a little bit better.”

This is the second “last season” before retirement for Darren Sproles, who decided to come back in 2018 when he only managed to play three games in 2017 before suffering arm and knee injuries. Of course, Sproles then missed 10 games this season with hamstring issues. But since returning to the fray Dec. 3, in the Eagles’ first meeting with Washington, Sproles has gotten better and better, and he enters this week’s game as a big part of the offense.

Pederson said Wednesday that he isn’t opposed to Sproles returning in 2019. Howie Roseman might have other ideas, and so might Sproles, who turns 36 in June, but Pederson said he thinks “Darren Sproles would be a great addition. He’s a great leader, he works hard. He’s a great mentor to a lot of young players. I think anybody would love to have a Darren Sproles. I would.”

The Houston game was Treyvon Hester’s 25th as an NFL defensive lineman, 14 last season for the seventh-round Oakland Raiders rookie from Toledo, and 11 this season with the Eagles, after a stint on the Birds’ practice squad. Hester played 21 defensive snaps Sunday, and collected one of the Eagles’ four sacks of Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson. It was Hester’s first NFL sack, at long last.

“The family was happy. Actually, a few of my old college teammates came up for the game, so that was exciting for them to see, as well,” Hester said Wednesday. “A lot of text messages from family members and stuff like that. I got Mom an early Christmas gift.”

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