Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith was among a trio of players listed as non-participants to begin the final week of prep of the regular season.
Smith suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 35-31 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. His ankle got rolled up on while blocking on a screen pass to Kenny Gainwell on a 3rd-and-19 on the second-to-last offensive possession of the game.
While Smith was seen in a walking boot and using crutches after the game, he was out of that boot by Wednesday afternoon and was walking through the locker room without a limp. Even if he can’t play Sunday, the Eagles clearly avoided a major injury.
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Smith, 25, has not missed a game in his NFL career.
The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday, so the report is an estimation:
Did not practice: DeVonta Smith (ankle), Jordan Davis (ankle), Haason Reddick (illness)
Limited: Zach Cunningham (knee), Avonte Maddox (elbow), Darius Slay (knee)
NFL
Both Smith and Davis were injured in the loss to the Cardinals. Smith’s injury came late in the game. Davis briefly left the game but was able to return.
While a few Eagles were non-participants on Wednesday, head coach Nick Sirianni made it seem possible that every player on the active roster could be able to play in Week 18 against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
“I think we're going to have an opportunity to have everybody up this week,” Sirianni said on Wednesday afternoon. “And so that's a sign of how good the doctors and the trainers and the strength staff are, and so there is a balance, though, of wanting to get that work done and then also making sure guys are healthy to go.”
It’s a good sign that Maddox is at least a limited participant. He was injured on Sunday but at least he didn’t re-injure his pectoral. Maddox made his return on Sunday after missing months with a torn pec in Week 2. Even if he can’t play against the Giants, it seems like he should be available for the playoffs.
Slay, 33, had arthroscopic knee surgery after the loss to the Cowboys on Dec. 10 and has missed the three games since. The Eagles didn’t put him on IR because they believed he had a chance to be back within the next four games. Of course, there’s a good chance Sunday’s game won’t mean much in the standings and MetLife Stadium is notorious for bad turf and there’s a wintry mix in the forecast.
Cunningham, 29, has also missed the last three games with a knee injury. The Eagles have certainly missed Cunningham, who has been their best linebacker all season.
It seems likely the Eagles will end up being the No. 5 seed in the NFC but they still have a reason to play on Sunday. If they get a win and the Cowboys somehow lose to the Commanders in Washington, the Eagles would still win the NFC East and end up as the No. 2 seed.
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