Philadelphia Eagles place safety Chris Maragos on IR
Special Teams captain Chris Maragos will miss the remainder of the 2017 season.
The Philadelphia Eagles had to make some tough decisions this week regarding their special teams ace, Chris Maragos. The eight-year veteran went down with a knee injury late in the game last week against the Carolina Panthers. Maragos was running down the field to make a tackle on the punt team when he suddenly went down with a non-contact injury.
More often than not a non-contact injury to the knee results in a trip to the injured reserve. Maragos’ has, unfortunately, fell victim to that case. He was diagnosed with a torn knee ligament last week which will most likely require surgery. The Eagles officially announced that Maragos would be placed on the injured reserve list Thursday morning, effectively ending his 2017 season.
Although Maragos sees limited time in the defensive secondary, his presence will be greatly missed on special teams. Maragos’ has had a major impact on special teams since he arrived in Philly in 2014. His hard work did not go unnoticed. Maragos’ earned an extension last year that would keep him on the Eagles roster through the 2019 season. He was also voted as the team’s special teams captain.
The roster moves:
With Maragos officially being placed on the injured reserve, the Eagles free up some space on the 53-man roster. They will promote hybrid linebacker/safety Nate Gerry from the practice squad. Gerry is a rookie out of Nebraska. He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Gerry ended up missing the final cuts after the preseason, which landed him on the practice squad. The decision to cut him may have had something to do with the fact that he only played in two of the four games. He finished out the preseason with four total tackles.
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Although he will most likely be used as a special teams contributor, Gerry brings depth to the thin linebackers unit as well. With starting linebacker Jordan Hicks struggling with minor injuries, Gerry could fill in well if needed. The Eagles have worked out several veteran free agent linebackers this week, but they haven’t seemed to consider any of them. This will be Gerry’s opportunity to step up and prove he belongs on the active roster.