Eagles injury report: Smitty, A.J Brown & Lane Johnson ALL absent from Wednesday’s practice

After a tough win against the Saints, it was apparent that the Eagles had sustained some hard knocks. Not only was DeVonta Smith pulled out of the game after a vicious late hit, but Lane Johnson and Darius Slay also suffered setbacks.

Eagles injury report: Wednesday September 25th

The team registered its first injury report today ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tampa Bay and unfortunately for Philadelphia, it looks as though they may be shorthanded.

A.J Brown missed practice once again with the same hamstring setback he’s been dealing with since week 1. Brown has missed the last two games and if he misses a third, his absence will only be compounded by a potential sidelining of DeVonta Smith, who is currently working through concussion protocol.

The two receivers combine to make one of the most lethal tandems in football and dominate targets in this offense as a result. Missing one creates problems, but missing both could be really tough for Nick Sirianni and company to manage given how often Hurts looks their way, and how ineffective the likes of Jahan Dotson have been up to this point.

I wrote an article earlier today outlining potential moves the Eagles could make in attempts to negate the short-term losses, which involves the likes of Parris Campbell and rookie Ainias Smith plausibly getting call-ups.

Elsewhere, Lane Johnson missed practice and is also in concussion protocol. Fred Johnson filled in well for the legendary tackle on Sunday, but missing him for a full game is a different challenge.

Mekhi Becton is also on the injury report, although Jeff McLane noted earlier today that he intends to play through what has been diagnosed as a tore finger ligament. He’ll do this by wearing a cast. This is huge for the Eagles, with Becton being a key cog in the early success of Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia. His presence on the line has been absolutely vital, and in the event he can’t go, Tyler Steen will be stepping up to the task.

The good news is that Darius Slay was a full participant after a minor knee injury sustained in the week 3 win, at least alleviating some pressure and giving the Eagles their devout CB1 for a clash with a Bucs offense that has a tendency to catch fire very quickly.

Philadelphia will post its second injury report tomorrow, so stay locked in to Philly Sports Network for the latest from down at the NovaCare Complex.

REUTERS/Carla Carniel