Report: DeSean Jackson to miss two weeks with abdominal strain

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is expected to sidelined for “about two weeks” due to an abdominal strain, according to a report from ESPN’s Tim McManus.

Well, this sucks.

It’s unclear exactly when or how this injury originated. Jackson wasn’t listed on the Eagles’ Week 2 injury report. He did reportedly start to feel discomfort during Philadelphia’s pregame warmups for the Falcons game. He then played 11 snaps before leaving with a groin injury.

Losing Jackson for two games is obviously a big blow to the Eagles’ offense. The 33-year-old speedster logged eight receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in Philadelphia’s Week 1 victory. His presence as a deep threat is extremely valuable to the offense.

Making matters worse for the Eagles is that Alshon Jeffery is dealing with a calf strain and his status for the next two games is also “in some doubt.”

And so the Eagles could be without both Jackson and Jeffery against the Detroit Lions in Week 3 and the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. The hope is they’ll be ready to play against the New York Jets in Week 5. It could be worse, sure, but far from ideal for a team to be missing their top two wide receivers!

With Jackson and Jeffery both potentially out for two weeks, the Eagles are down to three healthy receivers on their 53-man roster: Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Agholor is the only player from that trio with extensive NFL experience. Hollins and JJAW have 22 combined career receptions.

The Eagles could look to add another receiver to their 53-man roster to give them more depth. Greg Ward is available to be promoted from the practice squad. Former Eagles wide receivers Jordan Matthews, Mike Wallace, and (the recently retired) Torrey Smith are all free agents. Assuming he’s healthy, Wallace could make the most sense since he theoretically brings a vertical element to the offense.

The Eagles were bit hard by the injury bug in 2018. Now they’re off to an inauspicious start in 2019. Having the second oldest roster in the league could explain some of the injury issues but some of it is just bad luck.

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UPDATE: NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt says Jackson’s been dealing with this injury prior to the start of the season.

Jackson had been dealing with the abdominal issue leading into Week 1 but felt fine going into the season-opener — when he helped the Eagles beat the Redskins with 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns — and leading into Week 2.