Eagles Cornerback Ronald Darby Out for the Season With Torn ACL
Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby has a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2018 season, head coach Doug Pederson announced on Monday.
Darby went down with the injury during the third quarter of the Eagles' game against the Cowboys on Sunday night. He was able to walk off the field but was ruled out for the rest of the game shortly thereafter.
The injury is a devastating blow for the Eagles, who have been riddled with injuries this season, especially in the secondary. Cornerbacks Jalen Mills (hamstring) and Sidney Jones (foot) are currently out. Safety Rodney McLeod was lost for the season in September. The Eagles have also seen defensive end Derek Barnett and running back Jay Ajayi suffer year-ending injuries.
Jones is reportedly nearing a return, but Mills is still several weeks away. If neither can play against the Saints next week, the Eagles' active cornerbacks could be Rasul Douglas, Cre'Von LeBlanc, Chandon Sullivan and Avonte Maddox (the team could look to sign a veteran free agent this week). LeBlanc and Sullivan are former undrafted free agents; Maddox is a fourth-round rookie.
It is also a tough loss because Darby was playing at a high level. He leads the Eagles with 12 passes defended and also had 43 tackles and one interception in nine games.
The Eagles' loss to the Cowboys dropped the defending Super Bowl Champions to 4-5 in 2018. Their next opponent is a Saints team that has a top five offense in the NFL and has scored 40-plus points five times this season – most recently 51 against the Bengals on Sunday.
