Eagles injury update: A.J. Brown returns to practice

Eagles injury update: A.J. Brown returns to practice originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Several key Eagles were back at practice on Wednesday afternoon while some others sat out as the team began its preparations before facing the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon in North Texas.

A.J. Brown (knee), Dallas Goedert (hamstring) and Darius Slay (groin) all returned to practice on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts (rest), DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Saquon Barkley (rest) and more were not participating in the early portion of practice open to reporters.

Here’s the full injury report:

Did not participate: WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring), OLB Nolan Smith (groin), LB Ben VanSumeren (concussion)

Limited: RB Saquon Barkley (rest), G Mekhi Becton (ankle), WR AJ Brown (knee), DE Bryce Huff (wrist), QB Jalen Hurts (rest), T Fred Johnson (knee), C Cam Jurgens (wrist), CB Darius Slay (groin), WR Ainias Smith (ankle), OLB Josh Sweat (hip), LB Jeremiah Trotter (hip)

Full: TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring)

The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday so this report is an estimation.

Hurts had a helmet and went through stretching but did not throw the ball during individual drills. He watched as backup Kenny Pickett threw passes.

Brown suffered a knee injury in the first half against the Jaguars and missed the entire second half on Sunday. He went through early stretching on Wednesday and then caught passes during receivers drills.

Earlier this season, Brown missed three games with a hamstring injury and the Eagles went 1-2 in those games. Their losses to the Falcons and Saints — the only losses of the season — came without Brown in the lineup.

Goedert has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. The Eagles didn’t put him on IR so the hope had to be that he would miss fewer than four games. So it seems like there’s a chance Goedert could return in Dallas this weekend. Without him, the Eagles’ top tight ends have been Grant Calcaterra and Jack Stoll.

Slay missed Sunday’s game against the Jagaurs with a groin injury. Isaiah Rodgers filled in. But if Slay is ready to return to action, he’ll again be the starter opposite Quinyon Mitchell at outside cornerback.

Edge rusher Bryce Huff (hand/wrist) practiced on Wednesday despite an injury that limited him to just six snaps in the game on Sunday. He apparently dealt with the injury before the game and the Eagles limited his snaps because of it.

Without Jordan Mailata (IR), Fred Johnson, Mekhi Becton and Cam Jurgens, the Eagles had to toy with a few different combinations on the offensive line on Wednesday. The only constant was Lane Johnson at right tackle. Landon Dickerson worked at both left guard and center and when he was at center, he was replaced at left guard by Tyler Steen, who has a bunch of versatility. Steen also played some left tackle on Wednesday.

Earlier this season when Jurgens missed some snaps, Dickerson filled in at center so it’s not a bad idea to make sure he gets to snap the ball on occasion.

VanSumeren suffered a concussion and will have to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before his return. While VanSumeren hasn’t played on defense as a linebacker this season, he does have a big role on special teams and has carved out a role as a fullback on offense.

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