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Donnel Pumphrey suffered a torn hamstring in practice this week. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson revealed as much during his Friday press conference.
“Just a running play. Service team. Tore his hamstring. He tore his hamstring.”
“Yeah, we haven’t made that decision yet [to place him on injured reserve or not]. We’re going to get some more information again on this one. It’s significant so we’ll have to evaluate it going into next week.”
Pederson listed Pumphrey as one of Eagles players ruled out for the Eagles-Chiefs game on Sunday. The other two being: cornerback Ronald Darby and defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao.
Even if Pumphrey was healthy, he wasn’t going to be active anyway. He was a healthy scratch in Week 1 as the team’s fifth string running back.
It could be ideal for the Eagles to stash Pumphrey away on injured reserve so that he’s not taking up a roster spot. The downside is that the rookie running back won’t be able to practice if he’s on IR.
Pederson spoke on how Pumphrey’s injury will impact his development.
Well, it definitely — it’ll set him back. Because he won’t be able to run and do all the thing we want him to do. It’s unfortunate. We know it’s part of the game but we’ll keep him plugged in the meeting rooms and around the team and keep him plugged in that way.
The Pumphrey pick continues to look like a disaster for Philadelphia. The Eagles traded up for him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and he’s shown very little signs of being ready to contribute in the NFL. In addition to a lack of apparent talent, there are now questions about Pumphrey’s durability given the fact this is the second hamstring injury he’s dealt with since training camp began.
Making matters worse is that the Eagles selected Pumphrey in a running back draft class Howie Roseman labeled as “historic.” A number of rookie rushers around the league (Kareem Hunt, Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, Chris Carson, etc.) have looked pretty good in the preseason/regular season so far.
When asked if there’s a timetable for Pumphrey’s return, Pederson responded: “No, not at all.”
UPDATE: Ian Rapoport says Pumphrey’s recovery time will last four to six weeks.
It’s a 4-6 week injury, which makes him a prime candidate for Injured Reserve, with the possibility of returning. https://t.co/AXd2bXCN5X
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 15, 2017
Pumphrey sent out a tweet following Pederson’s press conference.
Everything happens for a reason , I gotta stay prayed up & get back to 100% Gods Plan .
— Donnel Pumphrey Jr. (@Pumphrey6K) September 15, 2017