Handling Injuries will be a Key for Eagles and all NFL Teams
This will be a season like no other in the NFL and it’s an obvious statement that teams that stay the healthiest will have the best chance to compete for the Super Bowl.
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back a veteran team. The same is the case with the Baltimore Ravens and those two AFC heavyweights probably have the best chance.
The NFC seems up for grabs and that includes the Eagles.
Nobody knows the impact that COVID-19 will have on teams. Some players have tested positive and are back on the field such as Eagles all-pro offensive tackle Lane Johnson, not to mention coach Doug Pederson.
Even before COVID-19, injuries determined so much about a team’s fate, since football is such a physical game.
The Eagles have had their share of preseason injuries. Even before training camp, all-pro guard Brandon Brooks suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles tendon while working out in mid-June.
That led the Eagles to bringing back 38-year-old future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters, who was brought back to play guard but will possibly move back to tackle after Andre Dillard suffered what several reports termed a season-ending biceps injury on Thursday.
There are a couple of injuries that it isn’t yet known if the players will return by the Sept. 13 opener at Washington.
Running back Miles Sanders is considered week to week with a lower body injury according to published reports. Sanders enjoyed an outstanding rookie season. He appeared in all 16 games, making 11 starts and rushed for 818 yards (4.6 avg.) and three touchdowns. He was also a major part of the passing game, with 50 receptions for 509 yards and three touchdowns. Sanders also averaged 22.4 yards on 14 kickoff returns.
He was eighth in the entire NFL with 1,641 all-purpose yards.
Many NFL players make their best growth from their rookie to second season because they have been accustomed to the competition. So much is expected of Sanders and for the Eagles to fulfil their potential as an explosive offense, he will have to be a big part of that.
Another key injury came to defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who is expected to miss multiple weeks with a pectoral injury. Again, his status for the opener isn’t known, but Hargrave was a key free agent acquisition from the Pittsburgh Steelers, signing a three-year deal for $39 million.
The Eagles have high hopes. They have made the playoffs three straight years, beginning with the Super Bowl winning season in 2017. In addition, the Eagles are the defending NFC East champs, and have won the division two of past three years.
How the team can not only manage COVID-19 but regular NFL injuries will be a key whether the Eagles can defend their NFC East Division title.
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Author: Marc Narducci
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