The Philadelphia Eagles announced a series of roster moves on Tuesday night due to the injury status of several players.
Quick look
• Starting left guard Evan Mathis placed on injured reserve, designated to return (More information)
• Fill-in starting right tackle Allen Barbre placed on season-ending injured reserve
• Backup linebacker Najee Goode placed on season-ending injured reserve
• Linebacker Emmanuel Acho signed to active roster from Philadelphia's practice squad
• Offensive tackle Kevin Graf signed to active roster from Philadelphia's practice squad
• Free agent veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith signed to contract (More information)
Analysis
• Mathis will be out for awhile, which obviously isn't good news for the Eagles. Mathis can start practicing in six weeks and he can return to game action in eight weeks. The first game Mathis will be eligible to return for is Philadelphia's November 10th game against the Carolina Panthers. In the meantime, I imagine Dennis Kelly or newly signed Wade Davis will play at left guard.
• Barbre's injury turned out to be worse than first reported. Barbre will likely be replaced at right tackle by five-year veteran Andrew Gardner until Lane Johnson returns from his four-game suspension on September 29th.
• Goode left Sunday's Eagles-Jaguars game with a pectoral injury. No one seemed to know it would be season-ending. The Eagles were high on Goode as the team's third string inside linebacker (behind starters DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks) and a key special teams contributor. Goode's injury is why Adam Caplan noted the Eagles are scheduled to work out some free agent inside linebackers. With Goode out, Casey Matthews is essentially the team's third string inside linebacker.
• Acho was originally acquired by the Eagles via trade during the 2013 offseason. He looked impressive during the summer but was cut when the Eagles claimed Goode off of waivers. Acho finished the 2013 season on the Eagles practice squad. The third-year linebacker challenged for a roster spot during the 2014 offseason but fell short once again and ended up on the practice squad. Acho gives the Eagles some immediate depth and already knows their scheme.
• Following the 2014 NFL Draft, Graf was signed as a rookie undrafted free agent out of USC. Graf played well enough for the Eagles to put him on their practice squad.
• Wade Smith gives the Eagles a healthy and experienced veteran offensive lineman. He can play at either center or guard. The 33-year old Smith weighs in at 6-4, 307 lbs. In his 10-year NFL career, Smith has recorded 98 starts and has appeared in 138 games. Smith most recently started all 16 games at left guard for the Houston Texans in 2013. Smith was named to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Texans in 2012.
Moving forward
• The Eagles roster now stands full at 53, if you were wondering.
• I'm guessing Wade Smith wasn't signed to start right away but I'm not entirely sure. Here's how I see the Eagles starting offensive line for their Week 2 game against the Colts:
LT: Jason Peters
LG: Dennis Kelly
C: Jason Kelce
RG: Todd Herremans
RT: Andrew Gardner
I'm not sure that the Eagles want backup center David Molk playing guard (like he did against the Jaguars) unless they literally have no other choice.
• The Eagles now have two open practice squad spots available due to the promotions of Graf and Acho. It'll be (slightly) interesting to see how they fill those spots out. Remaining Eagles practice squad:
QB G.J. Kinne
OLB Colton Underwood
RB Matthew Tucker
S Ed Reynolds II
WR Will Murphy
NT Wade Keliikipi
WR Quron Pratt
G/C Josh Andrews
• Reinforcements are on the way... but it'll take a while for them to get here. Matt Tobin could still be a week or two away from returning due to a high ankle sprain. Lane Johnson will return in late September. Evan Mathis will be able to return in eight weeks.
It's just a matter of whether the Eagles can weather the storm in the meantime.