Nick Sirianni delivers encouraging news on Josh Sweat

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

Nick Sirianni, who never updates injuries, updated a very important one on Tuesday.

Sirianni said he’s optimistic the Eagles will get edge rusher Josh Sweat back for their playoff opener.

Sweat was carted off the field and briefly hospitalized after suffering a neck injury 5 ½ minutes into the Eagles-Saints game at the Linc on Jan. 1. 

He didn’t play in the season finale against the Giants but did tweet out that he will play again this year.

And now it looks like that will happen.

"I know he is feeling better and that’s obviously a long way from when we all had to watch him have to be carted off,” Sirianni said Tuesday. "I know he’s feeling better. He made a push to play last week, we felt like it wasn’t in his best interest to play last week for health-wise. 

"Are we hopeful he’ll play in two weeks? Yeah. I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, he’s going to play,’ but we’re really hopeful and we really feel good that he will.”

Sweat had a monster season with a career-high 11 sacks, and his 8 ½ sacks since Week 9 was 5th-most in the league. His 86.6 grade ranked 8th among all edge rushers according to Pro Football Focus.

In his absence Sunday, Brandon Graham, who was averaging 27 snaps, played a season-high 44 snaps, Robert Quinn played 18 snaps in his first game since the Packers game and Patrick Johnson played 14 snaps.

The Eagles earned a 1st-round bye, so they don’t open play in the postseason until the weekend of Jan. 21-22 at the Linc.

"Anything can happen, but we know he’s trending in the right direction of getting healthy, and that’s a good thing, because he brings so much to this defense,” Sirianni said.

"We feel his presence every time he’s out on that field, and I know that the offense that’s playing against them has to account for him on every play. So we’re hopeful. He’s definitely doing better. 

"Thank God that he is, and we’ll take it one day at a time, but we are hopeful.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-nick-sirianni-delivers-encouraging-news-josh-sweat

That's really great news! If Sweat is back then that's a big big boost for this defense.