Eagles-Cardinals Week 17 injury report, with analysis

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Eagles-Cardinals Week 17 injury report, with analysis

The latest injury news ahead of the Eagles-Cardinals Week 17 matchup.

BY JIMMY KEMPSKI
PhillyVoice Staff

KATE FRESE/FOR PHILLYVOICE

Eagles CB Darius Slay

The Philadelphia Eagles are getting healthier as the regular season winds down. They only listed five players on their initial injury report this week. Here's the Eagles-Cardinals injury report, with analysis.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Status
CB Darius Slay	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
LB Zach Cunningham	Knee	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable Doubtful
LB Nicholas Morrow	Abdomen	Limited	Limited	Limited	-
LG Landon Dickerson	Thumb	Full	Full	Full	-
CB Avonte Maddox (IR)	Pectoral	Full	Full	Full	-
TE Albert Okwuegbunam	Hamstring			Limited	Questionable Out

Wednesday notes:

• The Eagles' linebackers are getting healthier, as Cunningham and Morrow practiced on Wednesday, even if they were limited.

• Maddox had a big wrap on his left pec/shoulder in the locker room prior to practice. He was unsure if he will play on Sunday.

• Dickerson's full participation is a good sign that the Eagles will have their full starting offensive line intact.

• Slay remains out. Will Kelee Ringo playing well in his absence, it's maybe best if the Eagles just save Slay for the postseason. 

Thursday notes: 

• No changes.

Friday notes:

• It feels like the next time Slay plays will be in the playoffs.

• If the Eagles activate Maddox from IR, Okwuegbunam feels like a candidate to go on IR.

Saturday notes:

• The Eagles downgraded Cunningham to doubtful, which means that the starting linebackers will likely be Nicholas Morow and Shaq Leonard.

• Okwuegbunam was downgraded to out. Oh yeah, you can bet he's going on IR.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• LB Nakobe Dean: Entering the 2023 season, Dean was the clear No. 1 linebacker on the roster, as the team was counting on him to take on a much bigger role than what he had as a rookie in 2022. That has not gone to plan, as he landed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury Week 1 against the Patriots. He returned Week 6 and played in four games before again suffering a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve for a second time this season. When he has played, Dean has been fine as a run defender and as a tackler (PFF has him down for 0 missed tackles), but he has struggled in coverage. PFF has him down for 13 completions on 14 targets for 120 yards. 

Dean was seen on a Roll-A-Bout in the locker room last week. This week he graduated to crutches and a walking boot. He's likely done for the season.

• CB Avonte Maddox: Maddox had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle in September. The oft-injured Maddox missed games at three different junctures during the season in 2022, and was only able to play in two games in 2023. He also missed three games in 2018, four games in 2019, and six games in 2020. He is one of the best slot corners in the NFL when healthy, but it seems there will always be durability concerns. The Eagles had instability at slot corner all season, and Maddox's absence has proven to something of a big loss. The Eagles opened Maddox's 21-day practice window last week.

• S Justin Evans: Evans was the Eagles' choice to start opposite Reed Blankenship to begin the 2023 season, as he beat out Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown during training camp for that opportunity. He started four games for the Eagles, and when healthy, was a competent player. He landed on IR with a knee injury, lost his starting job when the Eagles traded for Kevin Byard, and reverted to season-ending IR when he was unable to make progress toward a return.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Status
QB Kyler Murray	Illness	DNP	DNP	Limited	Questionable
WR Marquise Brown	Heel	DNP	DNP	Placed on IR	Out
LB Zaven Collins	Ankle	DNP	Limited	Full	-
DE Jonathan Ledbetter	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
LB Owen Pappoe	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
LB Victor Dimukeje	Foot	Limited	Limited	Full	-
CB Garrett Williams	Knee	Limited	Limited	Limited	Questionable
DT Kevin Strong	Knee	Limited	Limited	Full	-
S Andre Chachere	Shoulder	Limited	Limited	Full	-
DT Leki Fetu (IR)	Hand	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
DB Bobby Price (IR)	Quad	Limited	Limited	Full	Questionable

Wednesday notes:

• Brown is second on the team with 574 receiving yards, and he leads the team with 4 receiving TDs. Deep threat.

• Collins is a starter. 37 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT.

• Ledbetter is also a starter. 46 tackles, 1.5 sacks.

• Murray did not practice, but it's only an illness. He should still be good to go for Sunday.

• In addition to a bunch of LBs and iDLs on their injured reserve (shown below), the Cardinals have some linebackers and linemen on their injury report. They're really banged up in the heart of their defense.

Thursday notes: 

• The only change was that Collins practiced.

Friday notes:

• Brown was placed on injured reserve. His season is over.

• Murray's questionable status is interesting. He'll likely play, but he has barely practiced with the team all week. That's not ideal for preparation purposes.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• LB Kyzir White: White's season is over, after he suffered a biceps injury. He had 90 tackles, an INT, a sack, a 3 PBUs in 11 games (all starts).

• LB Josh Woods: Woods has played in 11 games this season for the Cardinals, starting 7. He has 61 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1 FF.

• DT Leki Fotu: Fotu is a mammoth 6'5, 334-pound space eater. He had 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 10 games (9 starts) before being being placed on IR with a broken hand. 

• DT Carlos Watkins: Watkins played for the Cowboys the last two seasons, and signed with the Cardinals this offseason. He played in 2 games (1 start), before being lost for the season with a biceps injury. His season was off to a good start (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 batted pass) before he went down.

• DT L.J. Collier: Collier was a Seahawks first-round bust who signed with the Cardinals this offseason. He started Week 1, but suffered a biceps injury and hasn't played since. Lots of biceps injuries for this team.

• TE Geoff Swaim: With Zach Ertz no longer on the team, Swaim is the No. 2 tight end. 10 catches, 94 yards in 2023.

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-cardinals-week-17-injury-report-analysis-2023/