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The Philadelphia Eagles placed Sua Opeta on injured reserve, according to an official announcement from the team.
This news comes as a surprise since Opeta wasn’t even listed on the injury report this week until missing Saturday’s practice with a back injury.
Opeta was set to be the top backup guard behind Isaac Seumalo and Jason Peters moving forward but that will no longer be the case. Nate Herbig will likely be the first man up now despite previously falling out of favor.
It’s unclear if Opeta will be able to return this season. If not, he’ll have finished 2020 with two starts — both against the New York Giants — and 170 offensive snaps played. Pro Football Focus has him ranked 71st out of 89 guards (Herbig is 42nd). UPDATE: NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro reports Opeta has a bulging disc and likely won’t return this season. The injury requires surgery.
The Eagles putting Opeta on injured reserve frees up a roster spot. By my count, the Eagles currently have three of those open and they’ll have a fourth by putting Lane Johnson on IR. Time to sign some practice squad players to the main roster.