Eagles vs. Vikings Final Injury Report: 2 players out, 2 players questionable

The Philadelphia Eagles released their third and final official injury report on Friday in advance of their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Eagles ruled two players OUT: Derek Barnett and Darren Sproles. Neither player participated in practice this week.

Losing Barnett hurt’s Philadelphia pass rush rotation. With him out, the Eagles are down to four active defensive ends for Sunday: Brandon Graham, Chris Long, Michael Bennett, and rookie Josh Sweat. Sweat could see some defensive snaps for the first time this season. The Eagles need a big performance from this group against the Vikings. Pressuring Kirk Cousins is imperative.

Sproles hasn’t been able to practice since hurting his hamstring leading up to the Eagles’ Week 2 game. Sunday will mark his fourth game missed this season.

The Eagles ruled two players questionable: Corey Clement and Haloti Ngata.

Clement didn’t practice at all this week, so it would be surprising to see him play. The fact that he’s questionable for this game seems to bode well for a potential return next week, though. The absence of both Clement and Sproles was felt in the Eagles’ loss to the Titans last week as Wendell Smallwood mightily struggled in pass protection. The Eagles need him to be better this weekend.

Ngata is a new addition to the injury report. He was limited in practice on Friday. The Eagles are already thin at defensive tackle with no one besides Fletcher Cox really doing much. Philadelphia promoted Treyvon Hester from the practice squad earlier this week. He figures to make his Eagles debut on Sunday.

In positive news, the Eagles didn’t list Alshon Jeffery, Fletcher Cox, or Jason Peters on their final injury report. All three players returned to practice as full participants on Thursday after sitting out entirely on Wednesday.

(Small injured reserve note: the Eagles waived D.J. Killings, Gannon Sinclair, and Toby Weathersby off IR.)

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (FRIDAY)

OUT

DE Derek Barnett (shoulder)
RB Darren Sproles (hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE

RB Corey Clement (quad)
DT Haloti Ngata (calf)

...

RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM

S Chris Maragos

RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY

DT Timmy Jernigan

RESERVE/INJURED

CB Elie Bouka
WR Mack Hollins
S Rodney McLeod
TE Richard Rodgers
WR Mike Wallace
LB Paul Worrilow

MINNESOTA VIKINGS INJURY REPORT (FRIDAY)

The Vikings ruled four players out: starting cornerback Trae Waynes, starting defensive end Everson Griffen, backup defensive end Tashawn Bower, and punt/kick returner Marcus Sherels. Starting running back Dalvin Cook is listed as questionable after being a limited participant in Friday’s practice.

Waynes and Griffen being out is bad news for a Vikings defense that’s surrendering an average of 29 points per game in their last five contests. Bower’s absence also means Minnesota is without two of their top four d-ends.

Sherels being out is a relief for a struggling Eagles special team unit.

We’ll see what happens with Cook. Earlier this week, he said his hamstring issue is still bothering him. Cook only managed to run for 20 yards on 10 carries in Week 4. Even if he plays this week, his effectiveness could be limited.

OUT

CB Trae Waynes (concussion)
DE Everson Griffen (knee/not injury related)
DE Tashawn Bower (ankle)
CB Marcus Sherels (ribs)

QUESTIONABLE

RB Dalvin Cook (hamstring)

...

RESERVE/INJURED

DE Ade Aruna
OT Aviante Collins
OG Nick Easton
WR Tavarres King
OT Cedrick Lang
DE Hercules Mata’afa
TE Josiah Price
CB Horace Richardson
FB Johnny Stanton