Eagles Practice Report: Ex-Pro Bowl Rusher Trending Up

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Eagles Practice Report: Ex-Pro Bowl Rusher Trending Up

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• By Mike Greger

• Updated Dec 30, 2021 at 6:27pm

Getty:  Eagles RB Jordan Howard is trending in the right direction as he rehabs from a neck stinger.

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to need a heavy dose of Jordan Howard since Miles Sanders has been ruled out for Week 17. The one-time Pro Bowl running back has been nursing a neck stinger, but he was a limited participant at Thursday’s practice.

That’s a real good sign considering kickoff is 72 hours away. He was listed "DNP” (did not participate) on Wednesday. Howard has been "working like crazy” to return, according to head coach Nick Sirianni, and the team’s training staff is doing their best to get him ready. The Eagles have veteran Boston Scott and rookie Kenny Gainwell behind Howard on the depth chart. They also inked Kerryon Johnson to the practice squad as an extra insurance policy.

Sanders broke his hand during last week’s 34-10 win over the New York Giants, but there is no plan to place him on injured reserve. Sirianni compared Sanders’ injury to what Marlon Mack endured in 2019 with the Indianapolis Colts. He returned to the backfield three weeks after undergoing hand surgery in November and played the final three games. Mack finished with 1,091 yards on 247 carries that year.

"I can share that with you, we’re not putting him on IR. So, obviously, we’re hoping that he’s back,” Sirianni said of Sanders. "He [Mack] broke his hand and was back a little bit later in the year. So, no timetable there.”

Sanders was the only player listed "DNP” (did not participate) on Thursday’s practice report. Everyone else was a full-go, including quarterback Jalen Hurts (ankle), guard Nate Herbig (knee), and safety K’Von Wallace (hip).

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Reasons for Bringing Johnson Back

Johnson began the year on the Eagles’ training camp roster but a freak knee injury forced his release. He didn’t make it onto the 53 and never found a new home on another team, save for a few special teams snaps in San Francisco.

Now he’s back on Philly’s practice squad. Why?

"We have confidence in him. That’s why we brought him back,” Sirianni said. "That’s always a good story for guys, for us to be able to tell next year, right, in training camp. Like not everybody might make this team, but there is a chance that you’re back, and this is an example of that. That’s something we said to Kerryon when he left, and look where we are now. He’s back and looking to help us win this game on Sunday.”

That doesn’t mean he’ll be active. In fact, it seems unlikely they would call him up unless Howard suffers a setback.

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Jalen Hurts Chasing NFL History

The argument for anointing Jalen Hurts the franchise quarterback has been getting more widely debated than Cheez Wiz or provolone these days in Philly. He’s a dynamic runner – something Lane Johnson attributed the mid-season turnaround to – and Hurts’ legs have a chance to make history.

The NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season stands at 14. Cam Newton did it in 2011. Hurts has 11 rushing touchdowns with two games left. There is a very good chance he breaks Newton’s mark.

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