The Eagles have the most important game of the season coming up this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and are hoping they will be getting back some key players for it.
"Everybody is trending in the right direction," head coach Doug Pederson said to reporters on Monday. "I am optimistic."
As for specifics, Pederson offered up these updates on key players like tackle Lane Johnson, receiver Nelson Agholor and running back Jordan Howard:
"Lane obviously is going to be a day-to-day thing. He is getting better. Don't expect him to do a whole lot today, tomorrow or Wednesday right now. We'll see where he is later in the week," Pederson said. "Nelson is in the same situation. Jordan is in the same situation. Really no change or anything further with them. Barnett is doing better. We expect him to do something later in the week, see where he is at, get him on land and get him going. Everybody is getting there. It is a slow process but they are healing."
Based off of how Pederson usually talks about injured players, it seems a stretch that either Johnson or Agholor will play, with Howard and Barnett having a slightly better chance to suit up.
Pederson insisted that the magnitude of the game won't have an impact on the decisions the team makes with each injured players.
"Bottom line is I am not going to risk further injury with anybody for a game," Pederson said. "But if they are capable of playing in this football game, then we will make that determination later in the week."
Of the all the injured players, there is no question the Eagles need Johnson and Howard back the most.
Johnson missed the team's win over Washington with an ankle injury that happened in the team's win over the New York Giants in Week 14. Jeffery suffered the injury on a 2nd-down play at the start of the second quarter when quarterback Carson Wentz was knocked into his leg, and the non-contact injury was so painful he couldn't finish it and had to walk off the field while the play was still going on. Backup tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai played well in his absence on Sunday, but would face a much tougher matchup this Sunday in Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence.
Howard has not played since Week 9 in the team's win over the Chicago Bears.
Getting Howard back would obviously be a huge boost. Howard has been arguably their best offensive player this season and the most important part of the offense when on the field. Now that Miles Sanders and Boston Scott are playing at a high level, the Eagles would have a legitimate three-headed monster at running back, assuming Howard can return to the same level of play he was at prior to the injury.
Getting either player back this Sunday would only increase the optimism around a team that is suddenly just two wins away from heading to the postseason for the third year in a row.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
