The Eagles will be without wide receiver DeSean Jackson for Sunday's prime-time matchup with the 49ers.
Jackson is one of four players who the Eagles declared out for the contest along with fellow wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (foot), and cornerbacks Avonte Maddox (ankle) and Trevor Williams (rib). Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of last Sunday's game against Cincinnati.
It also doesn't appear J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will be able to play as the Eagles list him as doubtful with a calf injury that he incurred before the game last Sunday.
The Eagles have two healthy wide receivers currently on the active roster in John Hightower, who returned after missing Thursday's practice with an illness, and Greg Ward. There are certainly options on the practice squad, including last week's call-up Deontay Burnett. Quez Watkins could also be activated from Injured Reserve, but the Eagles would need to open up a roster spot for him.
As for cornerback, the Eagles have Cre'Von LeBlanc and Nickell Robey-Coleman as the options to start on the outside opposite Darius Slay. Williams came off the bench last week against the Bengals and played 32 snaps. The Eagles could call up a player from the practice squad, such as Grayland Arnold, Michael Jacquet, or Elijah Riley – who are all rookies.
No surprise as Nick Mullens will start at QB for the 49ers
The 49ers ruled out seven players for Sunday night's game including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is dealing with an ankle injury. Nick Mullens will start at quarterback.
Mullens will have some help with the return of tight end George Kittle, who missed the past two games with a knee injury. Running back Jerick McKinnon is also good to go as he is dealing with a ribs injury. 2019 first-round pick Deebo Samuel is expected to make his season debut after missing the first three games with a foot injury, something to watch with the Eagles' injuries at cornerback.
In addition to Garoppolo, the 49ers will be without defensive end Dee Ford (back), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quadricep), cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (concussion), running back Raheem Mostert (knee), tight end Jordan Reed (knee), and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring).
Head Coach Doug Pederson said on Monday that the coaching staff will "have to find creative and unique ways to use all our players on offense."
The question for Sunday's prime-time showdown at the San Francisco 49ers (7:35 PM for The Kickoff Show presented by Axalta on app, site, and social channels) is quite simply, who will be available?
Thursday's injury report is not much better than Wednesday's, especially at the wide receiver position. John Hightower (illness) and Alshon Jeffery (foot) did not participate at all, joining J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (calf) and DeSean Jackson (hamstring) on the sidelines. The Eagles are already without first-round pick Jalen Reagor, who was placed on Injured Reserve this week with a thumb injury.
The Eagles have options on the practice squad. Deontay Burnett was called up for last Sunday's game and had three catches for 19 yards. The Eagles also activated Quez Watkins' practice window this week. The rookie is on Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury from Training Camp, but it is not known if he'll be ready to make his NFL debut this Sunday.
Other changes from Wednesday's injury report include some good news:
• DT Fletcher Cox (abdomen) was a full participant on Thursday after missing Wednesday's practice. Good news after he was limited leading up to the Bengals game, yet still had a monster performance including his first sack of the season.
• T Jack Driscoll (illness) was a full participant after missing Wednesday's practice.
• S Rudy Ford (groin) was limited after missing Wednesday's practice. Ford was out for Sunday's game against Cincinnati.
• C Jason Kelce (rest) was a full participant after being limited on Wednesday.
In San Francisco, All-Pro tight end George Kittle looks ready to roll
The 49ers lost tight end Jordan Reed to a knee injury last week against the Giants, but are set to get back All-Pro George Kittle who was a full participant for a second day in a row. Kittle suffered a knee injury in the season opener against the Cardinals. Kittle has back-to-back seasons of at least 85 receptions and 1,000 yards receiving. He's also a beast in the blocking game. The 49ers could also get back last year's first-round pick wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who is eligible to come off Injured Reserve.
While Kittle and Samuel are on the verge of coming back, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), former Eagles running back Raheem Mostert (knee), defensive end Dee Ford (back), and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quadricep) are among the 49ers who have yet to practice this week.
This list doesn't include the likes of defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, and cornerback Richard Sherman, who are all on Injured Reserve.
The Eagles released their first injury report ahead of Sunday's showdown in San Francisco and 13 players were listed, including nine who did not participate.
Here's the list of players who did not participate:
• WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (calf): Head Coach Doug Pederson explained on Monday that Arcega-Whiteside was limited in Sunday's game against the Bengals because of a pregame injury.
• G Jamon Brown (illness): Pederson said on Wednesday that he wants to get Brown extra reps in practice, but that Nate Herbig and Matt Pryor will remain the starting guards.
• DT Fletcher Cox (abdomen): Played like a beast through the injury. Eagles want to make sure he's available for Sunday.
• T Jack Driscoll (illness)
• S Rudy Ford (groin)
• WR DeSean Jackson (hamstring): Jackson exited Sunday's game in the second quarter. Pederson said Jackson is day to day. Interesting because with Jalen Reagor injured, Jackson was utilized as a punt returner on Sunday as well.
• CB Avonte Maddox (ankle): Pederson said Maddox will "miss some time," so he'll be out against the 49ers.
• T Jason Peters (illness)
• CB Trevor Williams (rib): Williams was thrust into action Sunday after the injuries to Maddox and Darius Slay, who left the game for a brief amount of time. Williams has plenty of NFL experience to provide depth with Maddox sidelined, so this will be something to monitor through the rest of the week.
