Several Philadelphia Eagles players are dealing with injuries ahead of their upcoming game against the Chicago Bears. Safety Reed Blankenship left Sunday’s game in Dallas after being kneed in the hamstring during a tackle in the third quarter. He said his injury is “a little sore, but it’s part of (football).” Blankenship would have been a limited participant if the Eagles had practiced on Tuesday, though the team only held a walkthrough.
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio expects Blankenship to play in the Black Friday matchup against the Bears. However, he will be paired with Sydney Brown instead of rookie Andrew Mukuba, who suffered an ankle injury on the final drive of Sunday’s game and would not have practiced on Tuesday. Head Coach Nick Sirianni stated that Mukuba will “be out for some time.” Brown commented on stepping into the role: “I’m just owning my role and doing what I need to do to be successful. It’s going to be amazing. It’s what I came here to do. I’m just embracing the opportunity for what it is. I feel horrible for Drew. He’s been having a great season so far. 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 went 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 be back.”
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson would have been a full participant but remains under gameday concussion protocol evaluation. If Jackson is unavailable, options include moving Cooper DeJean from nickel to outside cornerback and using Michael Carter II in the slot—Carter played 25 defensive snaps after joining from the Jets before the trade deadline.
Blankenship praised Carter’s adaptability: “He’s very, very smart. He can play any position,” he said. “In the meeting room, he’s asking high-level questions and that’s what you want. He’s only been here for a couple of weeks and it feels like he’s been here for a long time just based off what he’s asking and what he’s doing on the practice field. If he has to play a lot, we’re very confident in that.”
Other Eagles who would not have participated on Tuesday include punt returner Xavier Gipson (shoulder), defensive end Brandon Graham (groin), tackle Lane Johnson (foot), and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (shoulder/chest). Limited participants were running back Saquon Barkley (groin), guard Landon Dickerson (knee), and Blankenship himself (thigh). Full participants included tackle Myles Hinton (back), Jackson, and guard/center Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle).
The Chicago Bears also face injury challenges but could see key defensive backs return soon. Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon and outside cornerback Jaylon Johnson are designated to return from Injured Reserve; both would have been full participants if practice had occurred Tuesday after missing significant time due to injuries.
Johnson’s potential return comes as Tyrique Stevenson deals with a hip injury and would not have practiced Tuesday; Nashone Wright started in place of Johnson recently while Nick McCloud filled in after Stevenson was hurt last week.
Linebacker T.J. Edwards is sidelined by hand and hamstring issues along with his replacement Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder) and linebacker Noah Sewell (elbow). The Bears are already without Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was placed on Injured Reserve prior to their win over Pittsburgh.
On offense, left tackle Theo Benedet may return after missing last week’s game with a quad injury; rookie Ozzy Trapilo replaced him then while Luke Newman—who played 22 offensive snaps—did not practice due to foot trouble.
The Eagles-Bears matchup comes as Chicago leads the NFL with 24 takeaways this season.
The injury reports from both teams are based on estimations since both conducted walkthroughs rather than regular practices on Tuesday.
