Philadelphia Eagles begin padded practices minus several key players

The Philadelphia Eagles begin padded practices minus a few key guys.

Here we are. Forget what you saw on HBO’s first episode of Hard Knocks. Forget about that panic you felt when we started talking about players possibly opting out and fans not be allowed at stadiums. Forget about who was on that COVID-19 list and who might be added down the road. For the die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, training camp officially begins today.

It’s August 17th. The pads are on, and at the time of this story being published, Philly’s first regular-season game is less than a month away, but as Philly took the field to begin a practice session that actually looks like real football, there are a few fairly recognizable ‘Birds’ who are sitting out of the first padded practice of 2020.

If you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, the news isn’t great.

Second-year wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside is out. He has a lower-body injury, and he’s ‘day-to-day’. Right guard Jason Peters is out with a lower-body injury. Like ‘JJAW’, he’s ‘day-to-day’. The bad news doesn’t stop there though. Linebacker Duke Riley is also out with an illness, and probably most importantly, Derek Barnett and Javon Hargrave, two defensive linemen that their defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, is depending on to have great seasons, are both out for multiple weeks.

Barnett has a lower-body injury. Hargrave is attempting to recover from an upper-body injury. We did mention that the season begins in less than a month right? Like they’ve done in 2017 and in 2019, the ‘Birds’ begin their regular-season journey with a date against an old foe, the Washington Football Team.

Keep an eye on this story as it continues to develop. It seems like we’re always talking about the ‘next-man-up mantra’ with these Philadelphia Eagles. It appears we’re going to have to learn how deep this team is early. Keep your fingers crossed if you’re a ‘Birds’ fan.