Tuesday’s injury report
Safety guard Reed Blankenship said he injured his hamstring while making a tackle in the third quarter of Sunday’s game at Dallas, causing him to leave the game. Blankenship tried to build the confidence to be able to run through the injury, but didn’t want to be a burden on the rest of the defense.
Blankenship said Tuesday the injury was “a little painful, but that’s part of (football).” He would have been a limited participant if the Eagles had practiced Tuesday. The team organized a guided tour.
While Blankenship is on track to return for the Black Friday game against the Chicago Bears as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said he expects Blankenship to play, the safety will have a different team partner in Sydney Brown after rookie Andrew Mukuba suffered an ankle injury on the final drive of the game. Brown entered the game after Blankenship went down.
“I just take ownership of my role and do what I need to do to be successful,” Brown said. “It’s going to be amazing. This is what I came here for. I’m enjoying this opportunity the way it is. I feel horrible for Drew. He’s had a great season so far. He’s doing a really good job in the secondary as a safety. I hate to see that as a young player. I can relate to him because I’ve been through it. I know what he’s going through is a tough process, but he’s going to get through it and he’s going to come back.”
Mukuba reportedly did not practice Tuesday and head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday the rookie “will be out for a while.”
Safety isn’t the only position worth keeping an eye on in the secondary.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson would have been a full participant Tuesday, but is under game-day concussion protocol evaluation. If Jackson is not cleared before the Black Friday game, the Eagles have several options available to them. After Sunday’s injury, Cooper DeJean was moved from nickel to outside cornerback and Michael Carter II played in the slot.
Carter played his most snaps on defense (25) since being acquired just before the Jets’ trade deadline.
“He’s very, very smart. He can play any position,” Blankenship said of Carter. “In the meeting room he asks high-level questions and that’s what you want. He’s only been here a few weeks and it feels like he’s been here a long time just based on what he asks and what he does on the training pitch. If he’s going to play a lot, we’re very confident in that.”
Four other Eagles, besides Mukuba, reportedly did not practice Tuesday: punt returner Xavier Gipson (shoulder), defensive end Brandon Graham (groin), tackle Lane Johnson (foot) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (shoulder/chest).
Eagles injury report
WR/PR Xavier Gipson (Shoulder)
OF Brandon Graham (groin)
T Lane Johnson (Foot)
S Andrew Mukuba (Ankle)
WR DeVonta Smith (shoulder/chest)
RB Saquon Barkley (groin)
S Reed Blankenship (thigh)
G Landon Dickerson (knee)
T Myles Hinton (Return)
CB Adoree’ Jackson (Gameday Concussion Protocol Evaluation)
G/C Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle)
*The Eagles held a walkthrough on Tuesday, so the injury report is an estimate.
