Eagles Today

Eagles Without Two Starters As Prep Begins For Ravens

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and cornerback Darius Slay (concussion) were missing from Wednesday's practice.
John McMullen|
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - The 9-2 Philadelphia Eagles began preparations Wednesday for a heavyweight battle in the Charm City against the 8-4 Blatimore Ravens.

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who missed Sunday night's impressive 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams with a hamstring injury, was not practicing, leaving his game status in doubt. Also, missing were starting cornerback Darius Slay, who is in the concussion protocol after being forced from Sunday's game, and CB and special teams gunner Kelee Ringo.

Smith and Ringo, however, were watching the session which could indicate Philadelphia is trying to manage them through the week.

Defensive end Josh Sweat was at practice after tweaking his ankle against the Rams. Sweat's presence is important because the Eagles are dealing with multiple injuries on the edge with Bryce Huff being out indefinitely after wrist surgery and veteran Brandon Graham being ruled out for the season with a torn triceps suffered against the Rams. Graham was on the field watching the stretching prior in a gray sweatshirt.

Waiver-wire pickup Charles Harris practiced for the first time since being awarded to the Eagles on Tuesday. The veteran was wearing No. 95. Also involved for the first time was practice squad DE K.J. Henry, who was wearing No. 50.

Jahan Dotson was the WR2 in place of Smith against the Rams last Sunday and would presumably continue that role in Baltimore if Smith remains unavailable. Isaiah Rodgers replaced Slay against the Rams and would be the next man up at CB.

Down in Baltimore, star linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) was back at practice after missing Monday's win over the LA Chargers. The Ravens also started nose tackle Michael Pierce's 21-day practice window in his attempt to return off injured reserve from a calf injury. Those are notable developments to better combat the Eagles' No. 1 ranked running game.

The Eagles lead Washington in the NFC East by three games in the loss column over Washington with six games left in the regular season. The Ravens are one-half game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North entering the Week 13 matchup.

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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