Philadelphia Eagles get key D-Line reinforcements against Rams

The Philadelphia Eagles will get a pair of contributors back against the Rams.

After their 27-17 loss against the Washington Football team, there wasn’t much left to do for the Philadelphia Eagles than move on and regroup. Looking back, the talent that they had available should have been enough to keep the collapse from occurring but fear not Eagles fans. Reinforcements are coming in Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The biggest injury news on offense ahead of the Eagles game against the Rams is that running back Miles Sanders and right tackle Lane Johnson will suit missing the game versus Washington. Sanders said that he could have played in Week 1 but that the team wanted to proceed with caution. On the other hand, Johnson says that he won’t be at 100 percent, but even if that’s the case, his presence should boost the entire offensive line’s performance.

The Philadelphia Eagles will also get an infusion of talent on their defensive line.

The Eagles will have a couple of defensive players make their season debut as well, namely defensive end Derek Barnett and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. Brandon Graham should also play if he shows no symptoms of any lingering issues after spending the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The Hargrave news is very encouraging after suffering a pectoral strain in training camp. This will be his debut as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles after signing a three-year $39 million contract to join the team in the offseason.

Hargrave will play in the defensive line’s rotation next to defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson. The latter returned after a Lisfranc injury he suffered in 2019 and played well against Washington. Cox and Hargrave had two of the highest win-rates against two or more blockers in 2019, so it will be interesting to see how they fare now that they are together.

Barnett’s return may not be as meaningful as Hargrave’s debut (some of the fans and media have given up on him), but it is still important. The former Vols defensive end won’t likely become the superstar Philly envision when they drafted him in 2017, but he could be a nice cog in the defensive line’s rotation.

The Eagles defensive line accounted for two of the three sacks the team registered against Washington. They constantly applied pressure and were a factor against the run. With the addition of Hargrave and Barnett, Philly’s front four should be even better than they were in the season opener and will surely play an important role in the final outcome of their Week 2 matchup against the Rams.