Updates on Dallas Goedert and Alshon Jeffery ahead of Eagles vs. Lions

NFL insider Adam Schefter has some bad news and some good news for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

The bad news is that starting wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is “unlikely” to play in the Eagles’ Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions. This is expected since Jeffery didn’t participate in practice this week. The Eagles promoting Greg Ward from the practice squad also signaled a Jeffery absence. With both Jeffery and DeSean Jackson out, the Eagles will be down to the following four healthy receivers: Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and Ward.

The good news is that Dallas Goedert might actually play against the Lions. Goedert missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but he was able to participate in a limited capacity on Friday. He was ruled questionable on the final injury report. Schefter says Goedert “looked surprisingly better at Saturday’s practice and is now considered a pregame decision.”

Even if he does suit up, Goedert might not be able to handle his regular snap count. But having him at all could help an under-manned Eagles offense right now.

If Goedert can’t play, the Eagles will be down to just Zach Ertz and Alex Ellis at tight end.

The Eagles will announce their inactives at 11:30 AM Eastern this morning. We’ll see if Goedert is officially active or not at that time.

In opponent news, the Lions are reportedly expected to get starting left tackle Taylor Decker and linebacker Jarrad Davis back on Sunday. Decker’s return might actually be bad news for Detroit considering how much he struggled in Week 1. Lions backup left tackle Tyrell Crosby did a nice job of filling in for Decker last week. The Eagles could really use a big game from Derek Barnett on Sunday so let’s see if he can take advantage of a less than 100% Decker.

The Lions also ruled out backup defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand — who is dealing with an elbow injury (not a hand injury) — on Saturday. He wasn’t expected to play in this week’s game.