Injuries Starting

Teams have been dealing with a lot of injuries this season. The Eagles had been pretty lucky in that department, but the luck finally ran out.

Sources: Eagles OLB Nolan Smith strained his triceps Sunday, and now is expected to be sidelined through the team’s Nov. 2 bye. He could return for the Monday night Nov. 10 game at Green Bay. Smith had triceps surgery a week after the Super Bowl and aggravated the injury last… https://t.co/JBKEH0ZnKP pic.twitter.com/KdrR1R50oy

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2025

Smith had arm issues this summer so this isn’t a surprise. One of the problems with going to the Super Bowl is that players are in more games and then have a shorter period to get healthy for the next season.

We’ve signed S Marcus Epps, TE Cam Latu, and CB Parry Nickerson to the active roster and placed CB Jakorian Bennett, WR Darius Cooper, and OLB Nolan Smith on Injured Reserve. We’ve also signed LB Lance Dixon, DB Eli Ricks, and WR Quez Watkins to the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/8rKiyPKyIb

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 24, 2025

Smith is the notable loss. Bennett and Cooper are backups so losing them isn’t as big a deal. Still, Bennett was the top veteran backup at CB. Cooper was purely a role player.

There are other players who are banged up.

Zack Baun said he’s “good.” https://t.co/5dpEOWK9MQ

— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) September 24, 2025

The Eagles need Baun on the field. They do have good depth at ILB with Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Smael Mondon. Lane Johnson still isn’t 100 percent. He suffered a stinger on Sunday. Johnson is hoping to play on Sunday. Adoree Jackson has a groin injury and didn’t practice. With him down, Kelee Ringo will have a chance to play.

Injuries hit every year. You just hope they don’t overwhelm you (see 2020 for that). The Eagles have a lot of talent and a deep overall roster so they should be able to work past this.

With Nolan Smith out for a month, there is a good chance Za’Darius Smith will start in his place. Za’Darius has 96 career starts so he should be ready for the opportunity. Josh Uche will be #3 in the rotation. This will give Azeez Ojulari a chance to finally get on the field.

The Eagles were tested last year. Here are some of the key guys who missed time.

Jalen Hurts
AJ Brown
DeVonta Smith
Britain Covey
Dallas Goedert
Lane Johnson
Jordan Mailata
Brandon Graham
Nakobe Dean
Darius Slay

If you’re a good enough team, you find a way to overcome injuries. The Eagles did that with Lane Johnson out on Sunday. This week will present another challenge.

*****

There was some interesting news on Tuesday. The Texans released CJ Gardner-Johnson. That was a bit of a shocker. He started for them in the first three games, but this move was more about off-the-field than how he played.

Among the issues #Texans experienced behind the scenes with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, per sources, he was critical of teammates in the secondary and didn’t like his role. It was a locker room issue and ultimately this just wasn’t a good fit for the team and for a talented… https://t.co/tHhsv9Ur7v

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 23, 2025

CJGJ is a talented player. He can be a solid teammate, but needs things to be going well. When the going gets tough, it brings out the worst in him. No team has shown interest in him so far. Would the Eagles have interest in bringing him back? Nick Sirianni was asked about this at his press conference. He gave an indirect answer, focusing on the fact he likes the safety room as it is currently comprised.

You wouldn’t want to give CJGJ his job back and bench Drew Mukuba. Reed Blankenship is someone they want on the field. You don’t want to bring CJGJ back as a role player. That would not bring out the best in him. If there is an injury down the road, give CJGJ a call. Sticking with the current guys makes sense for now.

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