Eagles’ Dallas Goedert says elbow injury isn’t serious

Dallas Goedert was surprised to learn from social media that he had suffered a broken arm. He was pretty sure he'd left the Eagles' public practice Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field with a minor elbow problem.

"I kind of had the inside scoop on it, so I know it's not broken," the rookie tight end said after sitting out Sunday's practice at NovaCare. "I guess they can think what they want."

Goedert didn't say exactly what happened to his elbow, but he called it a "bump-and-bruise-type thing," and said he would return to practice in a day or two.

Goedert, the team's top draft pick, taken 49^th overall in the second round, has been the most noticeable rookie in Eagles training camp. In Thursday's preseason opener against the Steelers, he led the team with four catches for 66 yards on five targets, all of that accomplished before halftime. So, many of the estimated 35,000 people on hand at the Linc Saturday noticed when he trudged down the tunnel with medical staffers.

It was not much like this at South Dakota State.

"It's pretty crazy. It's kind of what the media does, or the social-media world," Goedert said. "It is kind of weird. It's cool, though. We've got some great fans out here, people that care. That's why they're putting it out there, because they care, but it is a little weird."

Goedert said he "couldn't have asked for a better debut in the NFL."

Fourth-round rookie Avonte Maddox got some nickel reps with the first-team defense Sunday. At 5-9, 184, Maddox doesn't have the size Jim Schwartz wants on his outside corners. … Quite a few practice absentees Sunday, including wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Mack Hollins and running back Corey Clement.

Second-year defensive tackle Elijah Qualls played 39 snaps in Thursday's preseason opener and was flagged for a penalty three times, which is really unusual for a d-lineman.

Qualls jumped offside, giving the Steelers a free play that became a 71-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. He then was whistled twice for holding.

"One of 'em was, I attacked the guard, and obviously, my hands were on him, trying to control him. Then the offensive tackle came and damn near tackled me in my back. Since my hands were on the guard, I guess I got a pull on him," Qualls said.

Overall, he said, "they held me more than I held them. … I'm going to keep doing my job."

Qualls said the coaching staff didn't fault him for either of the hold calls during film review.

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