The Philadelphia Eagles' first Week 14 injury report is out, and some heavy concerns are coming from the defensive side of the ball.
Only two players were not practicing, and neither is a significant surprise with defensive tackle Jalen Carter and right tackle Lane Johnson. Carter got a procedure on both of his shoulders and has already been ruled out for the Week 14 showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. Johnson still has the foot injury, with his timetable to return not until Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It's the limited players who are a bit more concerning for Philly. On defense, linebacker Zack Baun (hand) and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (concussion) were limited in practice. On offense, it was two wide receivers in Jahan Dotson (toe) and Xavier Gipson (shoulder).
The Eagles had two players who practiced fully, with safety Marcus Epps (shoulder) and offensive lineman Myles Hinton (back). Both players had their 21-day practice windows opened recently, with Epps happening just this week.
All eyes are on the Eagles' defense
Carter will be week-to-week so that he might miss more than one game. Baun and Phillips are important to the pass rush, and the Eagles can't afford to lose them. Baun is the leader and the jack of all trades man in the middle, while Phillips appears to be trying to get healthy in the last two games.
The defender to watch is Epps, as Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio indicated his veteran safety might be back this week and could even start over Sydney Brown after Brown's performance in the 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears. Not many Eagles fans would complain about having the 2022 Eagles Super Bowl member starter back in the lineup.
The wide receiver position could be interesting to watch, especially with Dotson, since he is their main slot guy. Britain Covey has essentially replaced Gipson at returner, so there's no rushing him back.
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Eagles fans will have to wait for the rest of the injury reports to come out, but the question will be who on defense will be on the field, and whether any of them could actually lose a game to injury.