Eagles Place Davion Taylor on IR, Still no Word on Brandon Brooks' Return

The second-year LB underwent surgery and will be out for the foreseeable future while Brooks' return is unknown

PHILADELPHIA - As expected the Eagles placed second-year linebacker Davion Taylor on injured reserve with a knee injury Wednesday.

The team also re-signed linebacker Christian Elliss, the son of former Detroit Pro Bowl defensive lineman Luther Elliss, to the practice squad, meaning they still have an open roster spot in advance of Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

Taylor had started the previous six games on Jonathan Gannon's defense and was lauded for bringing a more physical presence to the unit, along with fellow LB T.J. Edwards.

Taylor posted on social media Tuesday that he underwent surgery after re-injuring his knee during the Eagles' 40-29 win over the Saints on Sunday.

"We could get him back," said head coach Nick Sirianni on Wednesday morning. "Nothing's ruled out right yet, so I don't want to give a timetable on anything there.

"But it was his knee. I don't exactly know the terminology of what it was, but it was his knee that he needed surgery on, and he could be back later in the season."

Sirianni was also asked about when guard Brandon Brooks could potentially return, but said he had no update.

Interestingly, when asked if he would be the starter when/if he returns, Sirianni said, "We don't have to make any decision right yet about anything because I don't have any new updates, so I'll stay tight-lipped on that."

When Sirianni was asked last week about Miles Sanders and if he would return as the starter, Sirianni responded with a resounding yes.

As for Taylor, the IR designation means he has to miss at least three games, meaning the earliest he could return is Dec. 26 against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field.

Alex Singleton, who has started 15 games for the Eagles dating back to last season, will be inserted into the lineup next to Edwards.

Taylor, the Eagles' third-round pick out of Colorado last year, has 39 tackles and two forced fumbles this season, one of which led to Darius Slay's 83-yard return for a TD in Denver.

Elliss, 22, went undrafted out of Idaho this spring and spent training camp with the Minnesota Vikings before being released. He's bounced on and off the Eagles' PS since with this being his third stint. Elliss also spent a week on San Francisco's PS.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze


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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