Eagles Officially Rule Out Jalen Carter, Lane Johnson Vs. Chargers

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles will be without two of their best players on Monday night in Los Angeles for a matchup between two 8-4 teams, the Eagles and the Chargers.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulders) and right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) were both been ruled out for Monday Night Football after missing the entire week of practice. Neither absence is any kins of surprise for Philadelphia after Carter went through a procedure to relieve persistent pain in his shoulders on Monday and Johnson has been out with a Lisfranc sprain.

Everyone else on the 53-man roster is good to go against the Chargers, although safety Marcus Epps (shoulder) and offensive tackle Myles Hinton (back) are listed as questionable. Both Epps and Hinton are in their 21-day practice windows for a potential return from injured reserve but would need to be added back to the 53-man roster.

Eppsy Time?

That will likely be the case for Epps, who could be in line to start opposite Reed Blankenship at safety.

"I'm not sure yet," Epps said on Saturday when asked if he is starting against the Chargers. "You know, I'm preparing as if I'm starting, but I do that every week. So I'm kind of just staying mentally prepared, and we'll see what happens over the next couple days."

A Los Angeles-area native, Epps will have plenty of family and friends in attendance and the betting line is on his veteran presence being coveted by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio after a poor Sydney Brown performance on Black Friday against the Chicago Bears.

"I mean, ever since I got back here, anytime I'm out there with Reed, it's easier," Epps, a Super Bowl LVII starter for the Eagles, said. "It's kind of seamless.  I mean we have that repertoire of playing together in the past. So that definitely makes it a lot easier and makes it a smoother transition for me."

The Chargers, meanwhile, have listed starting quarterback Justin Herbert (non-throwing hand) as questionable for the game.

Herbert had surgery on that left hand earlier in the week and reports have suggested that he will try to play. However, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that the Eagles have been preparing for both Herbert and backup quarterback Trey Lance.

There is even a chance that the Eagles will see both with Lance handling short-yardage under center looks in which ball handling could be an issue for Herbert.

Three Eagles players were listed as limited on Thursday — edge defender Jaelan Phillips (concussion), linebacker Zack Baun (hand) and receiver Jahan Dotson (toe) — and all were full participants by Friday and Saturday and have no game status, meaning all are cleared to play.

Left guard Landon Dickerson returned to practice on Saturday as a full participant after receiving a rest day on Friday.

Hinton’s 21-day practice window expires on Wednesday of next week. The Eagles will have to either activate him by then or keep him on IT for the rest of his rookie season.

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