Eagles Win Could Prove Costly With Three Key Injuries

The Philadelphia Eagles got three key players back from injury but lost three more. So who could miss time and what happens next if those three miss time?

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) in a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Just when the Eagles finally had their full array of starters back on Sunday, more injuries struck during the Eagles’ 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns.

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson were on the field again after missing one and three games, respectively. Now, the Eagles may have to cope with the loss of Jordan Mailata, Dallas Goedert, and Darius Slay.

Head coach Nick Sirianni will talk later on Monday, but he rarely reveals much when it comes to injuries, but it certainly appeared as if Mailata will miss time with what was called a hamstring injury.

Here’s more on the injuries:

-Mailata was seen on crutches after being assisted off the field with 9:30 to play in the game. The massive left tackle wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg when he left. The good news was the injury wasn’t a knee or an Achilles. But is a hamstring any better? Maybe in the short term it is, but if it is torn, that’s going to keep him out for a while.

Fred Johnson is a solid short-term answer, but as good as he is blocking in the run game, he has plenty of improvement to make as a pass blocker. Take nothing away from him, he played 13 snaps in relief of Mailata on Sunday and Jalen Hurts had time to find DeVonta Smith on a drag route that turned into a 45-yard touchdown and Hurts had plenty of time to heave a deep ball to A.J. Brown for a 40-yard catch coming out of the two-minute warning that allowed the Eagles to take three kneel-downs for the win.

If Mailata needs a trip to injured reserve, however, perhaps the better play would be to move Mekhi Becton from his right guard post and insert Tyler Steen at right guard.

Becton has played tackle exclusively and when healthy, which he is, was solid during his time with the Jets.

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert returned to practice on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

-Goedert made it through three snaps before leaving the field with a hamstring injury and not returning. We just saw Brown miss three games plus a bye week to recover so, depending on the severity, the Eagles could choose to take it slowly with their tight end.

The Eagles got a solid performance from Grant Calcaterra, who easily posted career highs in catches with four and yards with 67 on 57 snaps (92 percent). Jack Stoll, who was added to the 53-man roster just two weeks ago, played 39 snaps (63 percent).

The flipside is opposing defenses know what Calcaterra is capable of doing. The Browns chose not to pay much attention to him and they paid.

-Slay has shown he can put bumps and bruises behind him quickly, so the severity of this one will be important. The Eagles have corner depth to manage the situation, with Isaiah Rodgers stepping in when Slay left about halfway through the game. Kelee Ringo also got some snaps. Eli Ricks is waiting in the wings, too, though he has been the forgotten man with zero defensive snaps this year after playing 26 percent of them as a rookie.

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