PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles lost a pair of starters before the bye week when tight end Dallas Goedert (fractured forearm) and Mike linebacker Nakobe Dean (Lisfranc sprain) went down in a 28-23 win over Dallas.
Dean is expected to be put on injured reserve this week and Goedert is a candidate for that as well if the medical staff believes the TE1 will have to miss at least four games.
On other fronts help should be on the way with two significant contributors expected back after missing multiple games. Right guard Cam Jurgens should be back in the starting lineup Monday night against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Cheifs after missing five games with a foot injury while veteran slot cornerback Bradley Roby wrote that he expected to be back on social media after missing the prior three games with a shoulder injury that was more clearly defined as a strained pec to JAKIB Sports by an NFL source.
Backup tight end Grant Calcaterra was on the verge of being cleared from concussion protocol for the Cowboys game so he should also play against the Chiefs behind Jack Stoll, who is expected to get most of the playing time in place of Goedert. Albert Okwuegbunam could also be in the mix for playing time at tight end while Goedert is out.
Others on injured reserve who could be set to return sooner rather than later include wide receiver Quez Watkins (hamstring) and safety Justin Evans (knee). The Eagles could start the 21-day practice windows for both of those players this week.
The Eagles’ front office also got back to work with a practice squad move Monday, bringing back interior offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher and releasing CB Kindle Vildor, and also looking for some potential depth behind linebackers Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham by bringing in four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr for a workout.
Now 31, Barr spent the 2022 season in Dallas after being a long-time difference-maker for Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. The son of former Eagles running back Tony Brooks, Barr’s last Pro Bowl season was 2018, and at his height was one of the better all-around LBs in football but there likely isn’t much in the tank when it comes to coverage and that’s what the Eagles need right now.
Any potential decision was taken off the table for Philadelphia when Minnesota decided to bring Barr back after Jordan Hicks was hurt in the Vikings win over New Orleans on Sunday.
The Eagles, meanwhile, also brought in old friend Noah Togiai for a look to potentially add more depth at tight end as well as two offensive linemen: veteran Andrew Norwell and Lecitus Smith, a 2022 sixth-round pick of Arizona.
Pierschbacher was also on the Eagles PS at the end of the 2020 season and Jeff Stoutland always likes to have a PS center on hand. He’s the replacement for Julian Good-Jones, who was signed by Washington off the Philadelphia PS recently.
