Eagles’ Reed Blankenship, James Bradberry, and Kenneth Gainwell out vs. Vikings

The Eagles will be going into their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday without at least four of their Week 1 starters.

Cornerback James Bradberry (concussion), safety Reed Blankenship (ribs), and running back Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) have been ruled out against the Vikings.

Additionally, inside linebacker Nakobe Dean (foot) was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, which means he will miss a minimum of four games before he can rejoin the active roster. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (ribs) is listed as questionable to play Thursday.

Bradberry remains in concussion protocol and will need to clear all five phases before he can return to game action. The Eagles have not said how long they expect Blankenship and Gainwell to be sidelined.

With Gainwell out, running back Rashaad Penny is expected to be active on game day, a league source told The Inquirer. Penny, who signed with the Eagles in March after spending five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, was inactive in the season-opening win against the Patriots. The Eagles likely will have three running backs at their disposal in Penny, D’Andre Swift, and Boston Scott.

» READ MORE: Takeaways from the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Patriots

Backup cornerback Josh Jobe is expected to fill in for Bradberry on the outside. Jobe, a 2022 undrafted free agent, has yet to start an NFL game, but he has played in 12 games (20 defensive snaps, 242 special-teams snaps) over the course of his two seasons with the Eagles. The eight-year veteran Bradberry exited Sunday’s game after a helmet-to-helmet collision in the fourth quarter, and Jobe filled in for him on eight snaps, posting one pass breakup on two targets.

Bradberry has seldom missed a game throughout his NFL career. Since his 2016 rookie season, in which he played 13 games, Bradberry has appeared in 97 of a possible 99 regular-season games. He has not missed a game since Dec. 20, 2020, when he was on the COVID-19 list as a member of the New York Giants before their Week 14 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Dallas Goedert, held without a catch in Week 1, aims to bounce back Thursday

The Eagles’ depth at safety and inside linebacker is not as robust as it is at running back and cornerback. With Blankenship sidelined, the Eagles will turn to Justin Evans, Terrell Edmunds, and Sydney Brown to handle the snaps. Evans played 96% of the defensive snaps against the Patriots, posting seven tackles and allowing one reception of 13 yards on four targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Edmunds played just 13% (three tackles), while Brown played exclusively on special teams.

At inside linebacker, the Eagles have Zach Cunningham, Christian Elliss, and Nicholas Morrow on their active roster. Morrow, a five-year veteran who signed with the Eagles in free agency, was added to the active roster from the practice squad on Tuesday. Morrow started all 17 games with the Chicago Bears last season, finishing with a career-high 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one interception, and two pass breakups.

Cunningham got picked on in coverage on Sunday, allowing nine receptions on 11 targets for 71 yards, according to PFF. The Eagles eventually opted to play Elliss over Cunningham during the game, but Dean’s injury forced Cunningham back on the field.

With Dean on injured reserve, defensive coordinator Sean Desai will identify a different player (or players) to be the on-field play-caller. When Dean left the game in the third quarter Sunday, Desai split green-dot responsibilities between Elliss and Blankenship, indicating that Elliss could be a candidate for the role on Thursday.

The Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings in the home opener. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.