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Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi is being placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL, according to an official announcement from the team. Ajayi’s season is over.
This new is, uh, unexpected.
We already knew that Ajayi was playing through a fractured bone in his back. But there was no indication Ajayi had suffered an ACL tear.
This development could very well mean the end of Ajayi’s Eagles career. The 25-year-old is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason.
In the meantime, the Eagles are down to just Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, and Josh Adams at running back on their 53-man roster. Sproles hasn’t played since Week 1 while Clement has missed the last two weeks with a quad injury. Smallwood has stepped up but it’s clear he has limitations. Adams is an undrafted rookie free agent who began the season on the practice squad.
The Le’Veon Bell trade rumors suddenly make a lot more sense now with Ajayi done for the season. Reports indicate the Eagles “have been mulling the potential of a Le’Veon Bell trade for a while now.”
Even if it’s not trading for Bell, the Eagles could really use some help in the backfield. We’ll see what Howie Roseman can come up with.
In a corresponding roster move with placing Ajayi on IR, the Eagles claimed free agent defensive tackle T.Y. McGill off waivers. Philadelphia unsuccessfully tried to claim him earlier this year.
McGill, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has 13 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble to his name during 28 career games played.
The McGill addition might not bode well the injury status for veteran defender Haloti Ngata, who had to sit out with a calf issue in Week 5.
UPDATE: More info on when the injury occurred. Impossible to question Ajayi’s toughness.
#Eagles RB Jay Ajayi will have surgery to repair his torn ACL on Thursday, source said. The belief is it’s just that ligament. It occurred in pass-protection during the game and he played through it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 8, 2018
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NOTABLE EAGLES PLAYERS ON INJURED RESERVE
WR Mack Hollins - Eligible to be activated after Week 8
TE Richard Rodgers - Eligible to be activated after Week 8
WR Mike Wallace - Eligible to be activated after Week 10
S Rodney McLeod - Eligible to be activated after Week 11
RB Jay Ajayi - Eligible to be activated after Week 13