Eagles Already Short-Handed at Cornerback, May Now Have Issue at TE

Alex Ellis was Ruled Out Then Waived, Leaving Team with Just Two Tight Ends for Sunday's Game Against Jets

The Eagles won’t have to worry about the return of New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold when the two teams meet at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Darnold is still struggling to return to from a case of mono that has him sidelined since the season opener, so the Eagles will gear up to face Luke Falk, who will make the second start of his two-year career.

That doesn’t mean the Eagles don’t have plenty of other concerns, especially when it comes to their own personnel.

It starts at cornerback, a positon that has been much-discussed this week, but there is an added twist with tight end Alex Ellis being ruled out with a knee injury.

Shortly after Ellis was declared out, he was waived/injured and cornerback Ran Lewis, signed earlier this week to the practice squad, was promoted.

With Ellis not available, the Eagles have just two tight ends in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. That wasn’t enough in the loss at Atlanta when the Eagles went in with a game plan heavy with two-tight end sets, a 12 personnel formation they employ often. Goedert was unable to play against the Falcons and the Eagles’ game plan was basically useless.

Ellis was a formidable foe in the run game, helping open holes as a third tight end and, at times, lining up in the backfield in short-yard situations. 

Then there is the cornerback spot. 

Ronald Darby and Avonte Maddox have officially been ruled out, and Sidney Jones is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury suffered early last week in the Eagles’ 34-27 win over the Green Bay Packers. 

Head coach Doug Pederson said on Friday that he wanted to be sure there were four cornerbacks available on Suday.

Lewis is the team's insurance policy if Jones cannot play.

The Eagles' other three corners isn’t a group that inspires a lot of confidence.

Rasul Douglas is the number one cornerback by default. 

He has played well for the most part, but he is someone who wouldn’t be starting if the Eagles were fully healthy. 

After Douglas, the Eagles have Craig James, who is just 23 and has played just three defensive snaps this season, and 32-year-old veteran Orlando Scandrick, who hasn’t played in a game since the end of the preseason, after which he was released.

“I’m a realist here,” said Scandrick. “This is 12 years for me and nothing lasts forever, and I know I’ve played more years than I’m going to play now. I played 11, I’m not going to play 11 more years. I just want to make the most of this opportunity. I want to leave it all out there and do whatever I can to help this team win.”

As for James, it was encouraging to see him make a play in the final minute of last week’s win, when he deflected an Aaron Rodgers pass that led to a game-sealing, end-zone interception by linebacker Nigel Bradham.

“People make plays all the time,” said James. “Luckily, you know, this time it was me. A lot of people give me the credit, but the credit doesn’t just fall on me, it falls on my teammates helping me out, my coaches helping me out, and God, number one. It’s great, but it’s time to make another play.”

Nothing new on Jackson

DeSean Jackson excited Eagles fans with two long scoring catches in the season opener, but hasn’t been healthy since a handful of snaps the following week in Atlanta. The veteran receiver will miss his third straight game with an abdomen injury.

“He's a runner, he's a sprinter, so we have to be careful,” said Pederson. “But he's doing everything he can in his power to get back out there. We'll evaluate him again next week and see where he's at.”

Looking ahead?

Head coach Doug Pederson said his team isn’t thinking about what the remainder of October holds after they host the Jets on Sunday. After New York, the Eagles will hit the road for the rest of the month, heading to Minnesota, Dallas, and Buffalo.

No other NFL team plays three consecutive road games this season.

“Everybody knows what's coming up,” said Pederson. “We all know what the schedule is. But listen, we've got a big test, a big challenge on Sunday. We are trying to figure out another way to win this week, and our goal doesn't change. Just try to be 1-0.

“We’ll worry about next week next week, but obviously the schedule is out there, so we know who we play. We just haven't got there yet.”

In a rush

Eagles running back Jordan Howard has ran for 21 touchdowns since 2017, which is the fourth-most in the NFL during that span. Ahead of Howard are Todd Gurley (35), Mark Ingram (23) and Alvin Kamara (23).

Howard had two rushing scores against Green Bay and added another through the air. He leads the Eagles with four touchdowns this season.