According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan, Philadelphia Eagles fill-in starting right tackle Allen Barbre is expected to have surgery that could end his 2014 season.
#Eagles G/T Allen Barbre (high ankle) is expected to have surgery which could end his season, a league source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) September 9, 2014
This obviously isn't good news for Philadelphia.
Barbre played 33 snaps in the Eagles' 34-17 win over the Jaguars before leaving the game with an injury. There was originally some optimism on Sunday night that Barbre's injury may not have been serious. On Monday, it was reported that Barbre suffered a high-ankle injury. The severity of Barbre's injury now seems more serious than previously indicated.
Barbre, 30, had been starting in place of suspended second-year tackle Lane Johnson. Now, it appears five-year veteran offensive lineman Andrew Gardner will start at right tackle until Johnson returns from his four-game suspension on September 29th.
If Barbre is indeed ruled out for the season, the Eagles would be expected to place him on the injured reserve list in order to free up a roster spot. Philadelphia could then use that spot to sign a free agent offensive lineman or promote one of two players from the Eagles practice squad: offensive tackle Kevin Graf or guard/center Josh Andrews. Both players are undrafted rookie free agents.
In the meantime, starting left guard All-Pro Evan Mathis is also expected to miss a significant amount of game time while he recovers from an MCL sprain. Unlike Barbre, Mathis' season isn't over yet. Just don't expect him to return any time soon.
The Eagles were obviously very fortunate to have gone the entire 2013 season without having a full-time starter on the offensive line miss a single start. They haven't had that same fortune in 2014, and there's only been one game so far.
Here's the Eagles' projected starting offensive line:
LT: Jason Peters
LG: Dennis Kelly
C: Jason Kelce
RG: Todd Herremans
RT: Andrew Gardner
Healthy remaining backups include center David Molk and... that's it. Second-year guard/tackle Matt Tobin is nursing a high ankle injury he suffered in the Eagles' final preseason game against the New York Jets. Tobin indicated last week that he was two or three weeks away from returning.
Update: The Eagles are hosting veteran free agent offensive linemen Eric Winston and Wade Smith for workouts.