The Eagles made several roster moves ahead of the Thursday night showdown with the New York Giants.
• Eagles activate G/T Matt Pryor from the Reserve/COVID-19 list
The Eagles have no players on this list, which is great news. As for Pryor, will he be active after not practicing for the better part of two weeks? Pryor's replacement against the Ravens, guard Jamon Brown, struggled. The Eagles could have Pryor active as a backup in an emergency situation. If Pryor doesn't start, the Eagles will have Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta available at the guard spots, along with cross-trained center Luke Juriga.
• Eagles place TE Zach Ertz on Injured Reserve
Ertz suffered an ankle injury last Sunday against the Ravens. The Eagles' leading receiver in each of the past four seasons, Ertz's loss is compounded by the fact that Dallas Goedert is also on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury. Ertz will miss at least three games starting with the Giants matchup. If you remember, Ertz caught both the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns with the latter coming in overtime when the Eagles beat the Giants in Week 14 of last season to fuel the push toward the NFC East title. Ertz is tied for the team lead with 24 receptions to go along with 178 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Without Ertz and Goedert, Richard Rodgers is set to be the starting tight end. Jason Croom, who caught a touchdown pass last Sunday against the Ravens, was signed to the active roster from the practice squad to be a backup along with Hakeem Butler. One thing to watch tonight is whether the Eagles play more 11 and 10 personnel without their top two tight ends.
• Eagles sign G Jamon Brown to the practice squad
Brown cleared waivers and was signed to the practice squad. The veteran started at right guard on Sunday against Baltimore and struggled. Still, Jason Peters and Isaac Seumalo are on Injured Reserve, and the Eagles are relying on young, unproven players like Luke Juriga and Sua Opeta and Brett Toth for depth. COVID protocols make it longer to sign new players, so it makes sense to keep Brown in the fold.
• Eagles elevate Brown and DT T.Y. McGill from the practice squad to the active roster
Brown will be active along with McGill, who played 16 snaps on defense in the season opener with Javon Hargrave inactive. Malik Jackson is out with a quadricep injury, so the Eagles will have Fletcher Cox, Hargrave, Hassan Ridgeway, and McGill for tonight's game. Of course, players like Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry can move inside in pass rush situations.
