Tight end Zach Ertz suffered a rib injury in the Eagles' win over the Cowboys last Sunday. Ertz came back into the game in the second half but was clearly affected by the injury.
Ertz didn't practice on Thursday and is also dealing with a back injury, and with Sunday's game against the Giants drawing closer, there is a real possibility Ertz will be sidelined.
Head Coach Doug Pederson is still hopeful, but the clock is ticking.
"He is progressing and getting better so we will keep monitoring him each day," said Pederson. "You have to be cleared. I had one of these one time and there is discomfort, it's not fun. We are going to make sure he is ready before we put him back out there."
Whether or not Ertz will be ready remains to be seen, and the Eagles will need as many players as possible as they try to capture the NFC East title.
The Eagles decided to add some insurance this week by bringing back veteran tight end Richard Rodgers. Rodgers spent the last two summers with the Eagles at training camp, but has been waiting for a phone call throughout the regular season.
Now, he'll get a chance to play in a game that can push the Eagles into the post-season.
"I was just waiting for a call from a team," Rodgers said. "In this case, this is the last team I played for. I remember a good amount of the stuff that was in camp. For me, it's that playoff approach. I've been in some playoff games before and I've been in some pretty big games. You've just go to lock in and everyone's focused on their job."
There is no minimizing the loss of Ertz if he is unable to play. In addition to being one of the top tight ends in football, Ertz has been a welcome target for Carson Wentz in a year in which several other offensive starters have been sidelined.
Fortunately for the Eagles, Dallas Goedert has stepped up his play in recent weeks and the second-year tight end plans to keep the same approach as he prepares for Sunday's game in North Jersey, even if he gets more attention from the New York defense.
"I'm not looking too far into that," said Goedert. "Zach obviously draws a lot of coverage. I think the coaches will do what they can to try and eliminate that and try and get us in the best situations."
Ertz would no doubt like to play through the pain, but only Ertz and the people close to him along with the Eagles medical staff know the severity of the injury.
A rib injury is quite tricky, and some are in spots where players can still take the field, while others can run the risk of a more serious injury. As Pederson indicated, the team will not put Ertz out on the field Sunday if he is not ready.
Only time will tell this week if Ertz can play, or even be ready for a playoff game next week should the Eagles survive on Sunday.
"He has to feel good and feel right," Pederson said. "You probably try to anticipate maybe banging him around a little bit and seeing the discomfort there, if there is any. At the same time, again, trying to just make sure that if things go according to what we hope is our plan, that he would possibly be ready for next week."