Prior to practice on Wednesday, head coach Doug Pederson met with the media to discuss how he will use his personnel to tackle the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. During the Eagles-Vikings game, tackle Jason Peters left the game with a knee injury and first-round pick Andre Dillard took over on the line.
"Jason Peters is a little more extensive, probably a week-to-week decision with him," Pederson said when asked about the length of Peters' injury.
Dillard saw 42 snaps at U.S. Bank Stadium, accounting for 72 percent of the playing time on offense. While his play was not perfect, Pederson compared his situation to Halapoulivaati Vaitai in his first year and viewed it as a learning experience. Pederson is confident in the Washington State product starting against the NFC East rival Cowboys.
"That's why we drafted him. We have total confidence in Andre," Pederson said. "I think about what Andre did last week in Minneapolis; it wasn't perfect, but he'll learn from it. He'll get better. He's a tremendous athlete. We have a lot of confidence in Andre."
With the release of linebacker Zach Brown on Monday, this is another position group that has drawn a lot of attention. Pederson sees this as an opportunity for younger guys like T.J. Edwards and Duke Riley to find their role on defense. As for veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham, who left the game on Sunday with an ankle injury, Pederson gave his injury update.
"Nigel is day to day," Pederson said.
Cornerback Jalen Mills will return to the practice field today for the first time since he injured his foot in the Eagles' game at Wembley Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars last October. This is a big step for Mills as he sets his sights on helping this team win games. As for cornerback Ronald Darby (hamstring), he is also eager to increase his workload after missing the last three games due to injury.
"We're going to incorporate (them) more today and just ramp things and see where they are at the end of the week," Pederson said.
Lastly, Pederson addressed wide receiver DeSean Jackson (abdomen) who has been sidelined since the Falcons game on September 15. Jackson saw 11 snaps in the Week 2 matchup before having to leave the game. Pederson classified him as "day to day," with their sights set on Dallas.
"He's working and he's getting close," Pederson said. "He is right on track to being healthy."
