Eagles' Jordan Hicks expected to practice next week after ankle injury
Doug Pederson updates the status of injured Eagles. Plus, what did he think of the officiating?
Jordan Hicks is expected to practice when the Eagles return to the field next week, a good sign after the starting linebacker exited Thursday's 28-23 win over the Carolina Panthers with an ankle injury. That would put Hicks in line to play the Week 7 game against the Washington Redskins.
The Eagles are still waiting on more tests on the knee of special-teams ace Chris Maragos, who is believed to have a posterior cruciate ligament injury.
Cornerback Ronald Darby has been out with an ankle injury since he sustained it in Week 1, but he's getting closer to a return. Pederson does not expect him to practice early next week, but he said Darby is "close" and the Eagles will have a better idea on Monday.
"He's been running a little bit more now," Pederson said. "Just want to make sure he's 100 percent."
Running back Wendell Smallwood has missed the last two games with a knee injury. He will return to practice on a limited basis next week. Smallwood has not practiced since suffering the injury in Week 4 against the Chargers.
Finally, next week is an important one for cornerback Sidney Jones. The Eagles' second-round pick is eligible to begin practice after starting the season on the non-football injury list. Jones is recovering from an Achilles injury sustained during the pre-draft process. Pederson said no decision has been made about whether Jones will start practicing.
"I don't want to rush him back," Pederson said. "He's still doing a good job with his rehab and his conditioning. Again, want to make sure that he's fully cleared, medically, before we stick him back out on the field."
Flagging the officials
Pederson said the league is "aware" of the penalty disparity in the recent games Pete Morelli's crew has officiated the Eagles. The Eagles were charged with 10 penalties for 126 yards on Thursday. The Panthers were charged with only one penalty. In the last four games the Eagles have played with Morelli officiating, the Eagles have been flagged 40 times compared to eight times by the opponent, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Eagles are sending clips to the league office for clarification, which is a weekly procedure.
"We have to do a better job," Pederson said. "We can't be getting these flags if they are flags. … A lot of them were legit. I am not saying they weren't. A lot of the flags last night were legit calls. So, we've got to do a better job there. But, for whatever reason, it is what it is. But moving forward, we can't worry about it. Bottom line is, we won the game. We figured out how to do that, and that's the bottom line."
