I fucking hate injuries.
I’m not sure what kind of wicked spell the football gods have placed on the Eagles, but it just feels like there’s no end in sight.
Two days after defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and Derek Barnett being on the injury report, the team’s injury report on Wednesday was equally as disappointing. Running back Miles Sanders is listed as week-to-week with what’s being called a “lower body injury.”
Typically, ‘week-to-week’ indicates the player will sit out for at least two weeks. Sanders could come back sooner, but with all signs pointing towards Sanders being the feature back in 2020, Doug Pederson and his medical staff will err on the side of caution.
Running backs coach Duce Staley has said that he doesn’t envision Sanders coming off the field much this year, and Pederson has also eluded that his offense will look to use Sanders in a multitude of ways.
When asked about using Sanders as a wideout or in the slot, Pederson responded with:
“I do believe Miles has the ability to do that. Somebody that we said ‘hey, you’re our guy’ going into the season. We definitely want to increase what he can do for us and if that means using him out of the backfield more in empty situations we definitely want to do that and see where he can grow and help us.”
Although Sanders will miss some time in camp, there’s no indication that he won’t be ready to go in 25 days when the Eagles take on Washington in week 1. ESPN insider Tim McManus reported that a source close to the Eagles told him, “He (Sanders) will be ready to play.”
This setback isn’t the end of the world for Sanders. The top priority is getting him ready for week 1, so if he needs to sit out for a handful of weeks to get right, I’m fine with that.
Boston Scott was also on the injury report Thursday with a lower body injury, but he’s listed as just ‘day-to-day.’ So hopefully he’ll be back in no time to get some first team reps in Sanders’ absence.
Corey Clement is the only healthy running back with NFL experience on the practice field right now. It’s somewhat ironic that he’s the only one at full strength given his long track record of nagging injuries, but it’s great to see him avoiding the injury bug and getting some time with the first team.
Let’s hope this backfield is ready to go come week 1.