Eagles Injury Report: 3 pass catchers did not practice, 2 other players were limited

The Philadelphia Eagles released their first official injury report on Monday in advance of their Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons. (The first injury report of the season is already here!)

Three players did not participate in practice: Alshon Jeffery, Mack Hollins, and Richard Rodgers.

It’s already been reported that Jeffery isn’t going to play until Week 3, so his absence isn’t surprising as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

Hollins hasn’t played since the Eagles’ first preseason game. He’s listed on the injury report with a groin issue, which lines up with the report that he had sports hernia surgery during the offseason. It’s concerning that Hollins isn’t practicing because he’s Jeffery’s direct replacement. For what it’s worth, Hollins told the Inquirer that he’s good to go for Thursday night’s game. He’ll likely need to return to practice in some capacity tomorrow for that to come true.

If both Jeffery and Hollins don’t play, the Eagles will be down to four healthy receivers: Mike Wallace, Nelson Agholor, Shelton Gibson, and DeAndre Carter. The first three guys would receive the most playing time from that bunch. Even if Hollins DOES play, we could still see Gibson get some playing time.

Rodgers’ absence isn’t surprising considering he’s been dealing with a knee injury that he suffered during the Eagles’ second preseason game. Rodgers has been seen walking around with a brace on his knee and he’s been described as “week-to-week.” The fact the Eagles kept an extra tight end on the 53-man roster indicates Rodgers isn’t expected to make an immediate return.

In other news, two Eagles players were limited during Monday’s practice: Carson Wentz and Jay Ajayi.

Wentz is obviously recovering from the ACL/LCL injury he suffered last December. We already know he’s not playing this week since Doug Pederson announced Nick Foles as the Eagles’ starter. Wentz will be inactive with Nate Sudfeld backing up Foles.

Ajayi has missed the last couple weeks of practice as he’s been dealing with a foot issue. Ajayi said he expects to play on Thursday. The Eagles are likely just being cautious with him so he’ll be ready for game time. Ajayi is expected to get a bulk of the Eagles’ carries this year. Darren Sproles and Corey Clement figure to get mixed in as well.

It’s good to see that Brandon Graham wasn’t listed on the injury report in any capacity. The veteran defensive end began training camp on the physically unable to perform list but was able to return to practice on August 20.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (MONDAY)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

WR Alshon Jeffery (shoulder)
WR Mack Hollins (groin)
TE Richard Rodgers (knee)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

QB Carson Wentz (knee)
RB Jay Ajayi (foot)

ATLANTA FALCONS INJURY REPORT (MONDAY)

The Falcons had three players miss practice entirely and one player be a limited participant.

The players who sat out included: backup guard Ben Garland, reserve cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, and long snapper Josh Harris. The Falcons did sign Jeff Overbaugh to their practice squad so that might not be the best sign for Harris’ availability. Small thing to keep an eye on.

Rookie corner Isaiah Oliver was limited on Monday. He’s listed as a backup on Atlanta’s depth chart.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

OG Ben Garland (calf)
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson (shoulder)
LS Josh Harris (hip)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

CB Isaiah Oliver (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION

SS Ricardo Allen (thigh)
WR Marvin Hall (ankle)
LB Deion Jones (hamstring)
LB Foye Oluokun (ankle)