Nick Sirianni Updates Status of Running Backs
Earlier this week, Miles Sanders shared a photo of himself on social media with his left hand bandaged. He was in a hospital room, after having just had surgery on the fracture in that hand.
Nevertheless, the Eagles remain hopeful that, Sanders can return at some point this season. Obviously, it won’t be in time for Sunday’s game at Washington and, if he does, it may not be unless they make the playoffs and are in a wildcard game the weekend of Jan. 15-16.
It is a hope rooted in a broken hand Colts RB Marlon Mack suffered in 2019 when head coach Nick Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis.
“He broke his hand and was back,” said Sirianni on Wednesday. “Again, I don't remember how much time it was, but it was the same type of thing. He broke his hand and was back a little bit later in the year. So, no timetable there.”
Mack missed just two games. He had surgery, too, just like Sanders.
So…
As for Jordan Howard, well, there wasn’t any surgery for a stinger, only a history of them, with the most recent coming in 2019 when he was putting together a solid season, but, in Week 10, he suffered a stinger and missed the final six games.
“He's just working like crazy to – and obviously, we're aware of what happened two years ago - but he's just working like crazy to get back and get himself ready to go for this game,” said the coach. “We're aware of the injury last time. We know what went down with that and everything, but it's a separate injury and we're just treating it that way and trying to get him back for this football game. And he’s working – him and the trainers and the doctors and our strength staff are working like crazy to get him ready.”
Howard did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report, which was just an estimation since it was only a walkthrough.
Sirianni talked about the signing of Kerryon Johnson to the practice squad on Tuesday. Johnson spent training camp with the Eagles but injured a knee and didn’t make the final roster.
“I wouldn't look too far into that,” said Sirianni. “We're hopeful with Jordan. Just making sure we have other hands on deck ready to go. Kerryon knows the offense. I thought Kerryon was really good on third down in protections and out of the backfield. I thought he did a good job on first and second down running the football with different types of schemes.
And we have confidence in him.
“That's why we brought him back. That's always a good story for guys, for us to be able to tell next year, right, in training camp. Like not everybody might make this team, but there is a chance that you're back, and this is an example of that. That's something we said to Kerryon when he left and look where we are now. He's back and looking to help us win this game on Sunday.”
D-ENDS RETURN
The Eagles activated four players off the COVID list on Wednesday: OTs Andre Dillard and Le’Raven Clark and defensive ends Tarron Jackson and Ryan Kerrigan.
Perhaps the biggest names there are the D-ends.
The Eagles would have been majorly short-handed there had Jackson and Kerrigan not returned. The team is still without starter Derek Barnett, however, who is still on the COVID list.
Jackson is a rookie who has been playing his best ball of the season in the past couple of games while Kerrigan hasn’t don’t much. Still, he’s a willing body with veteran experience to put out there in a pinch.
The Eagles used Fletcher Cox at defensive end for a few snaps in last week’s win over the New York Giants and Milton Williams can also move outside if need be. Also, Genard Avery has played well much of the season.
Lane Johnson
USA Today
LANE AND THE PRO BOWL
The Eagles' right tackle, Lane Johnson, wasn’t happy when asked on Wednesday about being snubbed from the Pro Bowl and not even being named an alternate.
“I was pissed,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
then he just didn't leave it at that.
“I was really pissed," he added. "As far as that, it just motivates me for whatever is left in the season.”
Asked to give a theory, Johnson pointed to his three-game absence when he left the team to get a grip on the anxiety and depression that had been wearing heavily on him.
“I think it did a lot of good for a lot of people (other OL),” he said. “For me, I don’t know if it did.”
Johnson was asked about his partner on the other side, Jordan Mailata, being shut out of the Pro Bowl, too.
“(He is) still a puppy (24 years old),” he said. “Jordan’s going to be as good as he wants to be. Size, speed, power, strength, he’s unmatched. Him and Landon (Dickerson) over there on the left side, that’s a serious problem for everybody we face. That’s the biggest side in the league. They’ve been making waves all year. I think both of them together have worked extremely hard, and you see it, those guys are just demolishing people game after game after game.”
QUOTE OF DAY 1
“It feels fine. It’s good enough for us to get 2 wins.” – Quarterback Jalen on an ankle injury suffered Nov. 28 but being 2-0 since returning to the lineup.
QUOTE OF DAY 2
“I wasn’t keeping track or anything, but every play I want to be around the football, and I want to finish every play with a punch at the ball. A lot of that is just hustle and effort and getting to the ball. You see that from our entire defense. I think that kind of feeds off each other and good things happen when you keep getting to the ball, so it was really good on Sunday.” – Linebacker T.J. Edwards on his career-high 16-tackle performance in win over Giants
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
