As the game at Philadelphia on Sunday approaches, Buffalo’s secondary is hampered by injuries.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ injury list includes a few new names, but no major shocks. The Buffalo Bills, their Week 12 opponent, have severe injury worries at cornerback. The Eagles-Bills injury report is below, along with analysis.
• Goedert is the team’s third leading receiver, trailing only A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. He has 38 catches for 410 yards and two touchdowns in nine games. His season started badly, with only 13 catches for 88 yards and no touchdowns in the Eagles’ first four games. However, in his last five games, he had 25 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns. With Goedert out for an extended period of time, the Eagles’ starting tight end is Jack Stoll, a solid blocker but a non-factor in the passing game. The Eagles also have Grant Calcaterra and Albert Okwuegbunam, both of whom are better receivers than blockers but lack Goedert’s talent on both levels.
• Williams possessed
Brown and Swift are the most notable names among the limited practice participants. It’ll be worth monitoring their statuses as the week progresses.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
• LB Nakobe Dean: Entering the 2023 season, Dean was the clear No. 1 linebacker on the roster, as the team was counting on him to take on a much bigger role than what he had as a rookie in 2022. That has not gone to plan, as he landed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury Week 1 against the Patriots. He returned Week 6 and played in four games before again suffering a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve for a second time this season. When he has played, Dean has been fine as a run defender and as a tackler (PFF has him down for 0 missed tackles), but he has struggled in coverage. PFF has him down for 13 completions on 14 targets for 120 yards.
Zach Cunningham has been the Eagles’ best linebacker so far this season, as he has been a physical presence in the middle of the defense. Nicholas Morrow has also had his moments, notably in the Eagles’ overtime win against the Commanders, when he had three sacks.
• CB Avonte Maddox: Maddox had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. His season is likely over. The oft-injured Maddox missed games at three different junctures during the season in 2022, and was only able to play in two games in 2023. He also missed three games in 2018, four games in 2019, and six games in 2020. He is one of the best slot corners in the NFL when healthy, but it seems there will always be durability concerns. Slot corner is a position where the Eagles had already lost depth, as backup Zech McPhearson tore his Achilles during the Eagles’ preseason game against the Browns. The Eagles have had a different plan in the slot pretty much every week since Maddox went down.
• S Justin Evans: Evans was the Eagles’ choice to start opposite Reed Blankenship, as he beat out Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown during training camp for that opportunity. He started four games for the Eagles earlier this season, and when healthy, has been competent. However, he has a long history of injuries, missing 43 games from 2017-2022 (not including the 2021 season, when he was not on an NFL roster), and he lost his starting job when the Eagles traded for Kevin Byard. The Eagles opened Evans’ 21-day practice window last week.
Brown and Swift are the most notable names among the limited practice participants. It’ll be worth monitoring their statuses as the week progresses.
Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.
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• LB Nakobe Dean: Entering the 2023 season, Dean was the clear No. 1 linebacker on the roster, as the team was counting on him to take on a much bigger role than what he had as a rookie in 2022. That has not gone to plan, as he landed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury Week 1 against the Patriots. He returned Week 6 and played in four games before again suffering a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve for a second time this season. When he has played, Dean has been fine as a run defender and as a tackler (PFF has him down for 0 missed tackles), but he has struggled in coverage. PFF has him down for 13 completions on 14 targets for 120 yards.
Zach Cunningham has been the Eagles’ best linebacker so far this season, as he has been a physical presence in the middle of the defense. Nicholas Morrow has also had his moments, notably in the Eagles’ overtime win against the Commanders, when he had three sacks.
• CB Avonte Maddox: Maddox had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. His season is likely over. The oft-injured Maddox missed games at three different junctures during the season in 2022, and was only able to play in two games in 2023. He also missed three games in 2018, four games in 2019, and six games in 2020. He is one of the best slot corners in the NFL when healthy, but it seems there will always be durability concerns. Slot corner is a position where the Eagles had already lost depth, as backup Zech McPhearson tore his Achilles during the Eagles’ preseason game against the Browns. The Eagles have had a different plan in the slot pretty much every week since Maddox went down.
• S Justin Evans: Evans was the Eagles’ choice to start opposite Reed Blankenship, as he beat out Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown during training camp for that opportunity. He started four games for the Eagles earlier this season, and when healthy, has been competent. However, he has a long history of injuries, missing 43 games from 2017-2022 (not including the 2021 season, when he was not on an NFL roster), and he lost his starting job when the Eagles traded for Kevin Byard. The Eagles opened Evans’ 21-day practice window last week.
