Safety Justin Evans, who returned to practice last week, was a non-participant on Wednesday as the Eagles began their practice week.
Evans hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in the Rams game in Week 5. He was placed on injured Reserve on Oct. 13 and the Eagles opened his practice window last week. He was listed as limited all three practice days leading up to the Chiefs game – Thursday, Friday and Saturday – but remained on IR.
Going from limited to a non-participant indicates a possible setback. The Eagles held a walkthrough in their indoor Bubble Wednesday, and NFL rules require teams to estimate what a player’s status would have been in a full practice.
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Evans, a 2017 2nd-round pick of the Buccaneers, signed with the Eagles in March and won the starting safety spot across from Reed Blankenship late in training camp. He started four of the Eagles’ first five games and had 15 tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble.
Since he got hurt, the Eagles acquired Kevin Byard, who is now the starter. But the Eagles don’t have much depth at safety and could use a healthy Evans. He's also a solid special teamer and could contribute there if healthy.
Also listed as non-participants Wednesday were tight end Grant Calcaterra, who hurt his ankle in the Chiefs game, tight end Dallas Goedert, who will miss his second straight game with a fractured forearm, defensive tackle Milton Williams, who is in the NFL’s protocol after suffering a concussion in the Chiefs game, and edge Derek Barnett, who’s listed with personal reasons.
The Eagles are hoping to keep Goedert off IR so he can return for the Cowboys game Dec. 10 in Dallas. If Calcaterra is unable to play Sunday, Jack Stoll and Albert Okwuegbunam become the only healthy tight ends on the 53-man roster. With the short week, Williams will have a tough time clearing the protocol before the Eagles’ game Sunday against the Bills. Barnett, who was inactive for Dallas, missed the Chiefs game for personal reasons, although he probably wouldn’t have played anyway.
Philadelphia Eagles
Listed as limited were A.J. Brown (thigh), Julio Jones (knee) and D’Andre Swift (ankle), although all are expected to play Sunday. The Eagles also listed Quez Watkins (hamstring) as limited after opening his practice window. Watkins has been on IR since getting hurt in the Rams game Week 3.
