PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former Eagle is coming to town on Sunday, while a current Eagle has been sidelined for the season.
The Eagles are getting ready to face Malcolm Jenkins and the Saints on Sunday afternoon at the Linc. While the offense will try to find ways to move the ball against their former teammates, they will be doing so without Jason Peters. The offensive lineman has been shut down for the season as he continues to deal with a toe injury.
Pederson made the announcement about Peters Friday morning.
“It’s an injury that we’ve known about and he’s literally battled through it,” said Pederson. “He’s done everything he can for this football team. I appreciate him a lot. He means a lot to me personally, not only on the field, but off the field as well, and so he’s going to be missed.”
Peters has struggled throughout the season at both left tackle and right guard. Only time will tell if his injury was the cause.
Pederson did not say if the injury would end Peters’ career, but he did say Peters did all he could to play through the injury until the decision was made to put an end to his season.
“He wanted to be out there with his teammates for the remainder of the season,” Pederson continued. “It’s just to the point now where the injury is a little bit too bad for him to continue, so he’ll have surgery and miss the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, the Eagles offense will have to contend with Jenkins, one of the most valuable members of the Eagles defense over the past several seasons.
Many fans were upset to see Jenkins and the Eagles part ways during the off-season.
“He meant the world, really,” Pederson said of Jenkins. “He was a staple on defense, No. 1. He was a leader on my player committee. He does a lot of things in our community here, not only for the Eagles organization but for himself personally and marketing his brand. All the things he does off the field that we’ve seen him do, just a tremendous leader. Guys just gravitate to him, and just a really good person.”
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Jenkins revealed this week he did not feel valued by the Eagles when they parted ways during the off-season. There was concern by management that age would soon be catching up to him, but the safety has performed well in New Orleans.
Pederson said the situation with Jenkins is part of the business side of the National Football League.
“I have a lot of respect for Malcolm and what he did for this organization,” Pederson added. “Obviously helped us win a championship, and yet we do realize that sometimes the business side is the ugly side of what we do. Sometimes it’s unfortunate, and good players, good people, coaches the same way, have to move on, and it’s just the way our business is.”