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The Eagles made it to the bye week, and with that, are getting a full 15 days away between last Sunday's win over the Giants and next Monday's big primetime matchup against the Packers. And entering the bye with a decent list of injuries and ailments to some key names on the roster, those 15 days are going to be huge. "They're key," said Dr. Dinesh Dhanaraj, the Attending Orthopedic Surgeon at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne. "Rest and activity modification, time off of the offending activity, whether it be a sport, running, jumping is key... That goes for any level of athlete." But especially so for the Eagles right now, who need their top players as healthy as possible through the back half of the season if they're going to keep up their hopes of a Super Bowl repeat. "The amount of time is variable. It really is," Dr. Dhanaraj said generally of recovering from injury. "Professional athletes, obviously, can recover faster and they need shorter time, but that two weeks is gonna be key, for A.J. Brown, for whoever is is honestly on that Injured Reserve list." Here's a rundown of the notable Eagles who are either on that list or have appeared on the recent injury report, with outside perspective from Dr. Dhanaraj of where each player might be at and what they're dealing with in their respective recovery processes. Before getting started, though, an important note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and guest authors and do not reflect any official policy or position of any NFL team or a team's athletic physicians. • WR A.J. Brown put in a heavy day during the win over the Vikings two weeks ago with four receptions for 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He had to sit out last week against the Giants, though, when a hamstring listing for him appeared on the injury report and quickly ruled him out after not practicing all week. Brown's hamstring tightened up from scar tissue, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, and it seemed neither he nor the Eagles felt a need to push it. So, by the time he presumably does return to the field on Nov. 10 in Green Bay, the star receiver should likely be fresh again on a full three weeks' worth of rest. "You don't want to push through pain with some of these injuries, like the hamstring, because they can rupture, right?" Dr. Dhanaraj said. "Right now, he may have a strain, it's sore. If you're not getting to where you're close to pain free and then you're gonna do some explosive maneuver, cut, etc., there is a chance of rupturing it and it being a season-ender, right?" In other words, there was no reason to leave Brown at risk. The Eagles were in a spot where they had time. "You have to really look at his symptoms and mitigate how he's feeling before you let him really fly, because there is a risk of something a lot worse." And neither Brown nor the Eagles want to tempt getting there. • RB Saquon Barkley took off on a big run late against the Giants last week, but pulled up a bit limp along the sideline and exited right after. A groin injury was the diagnosis. Postgame, Barkley said he could've gone back in if the Eagles needed him to, but at that point in the game, they were well in control, while Tank Bigsby was doing just fine in backup duty. Barkley didn't seem too concerned about the issue following Sunday's win over the Giants, and neither did the Eagles. The star running back registered something was wrong right away, and the team appeared to play it safe accordingly given the scenario. He should be good to go by next Monday night. "I think it's a cost-benefit analysis. I mean, where you're at in the game, too. They were already winning pretty good and he's feeling something, that's the time to sit him," Dr. Dhanaraj said. "That's the time to be cautious and not push it for no gain, right? That's why you take starters out, things like that, when the game's done. You're mitigating risk. "Even if he wouldn't have had any pain, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to take him out, right? Give him a break so he doesn't get hurt. With him feeling something, it's a no-brainer." • LG Landon Dickerson needed a procedure to clean up his meniscus before the season and missed the first go against the Giants in Week 6 with an ankle injury. C Cam Jurgens was still building back up to full strength from offseason back surgery, which was showing in his play, and then he had to miss this past Sunday against the Giants with a knee injury. They've been brunting a lot of pain to stay on the field, and these next two weeks will definitely serve as a much-needed breather for each of them. Back in August, Dr. Dhanaraj noted that Dickerson would be back quickly from his meniscus procedure, and right on cue, Dickerson was ready to go Week 1. Dr. Dhanaraj explained that the kind of procedure Dickerson underwent essentially cut away and cleaned up a loose part of the meniscus, likening it to a torn piece of carpet getting caught under a door when you open and close it. It's manageable, but he did follow up this week that it is something to be mindful of as the Eagles proceed. The meniscus in his knee is cleaned up, but there is less of it now, and hypothetically speaking, that could be a source for more problems, Dr. Dhanaraj noted. Similarly, Jurgens' back, if not fully recovered, can lead to other injuries for the center, as the back serves as a kinetic chain for every other part of the body, Dr. Dhanaraj said. But again, this is hypothetical. And again, these are a badly-needed and important two weeks to rehab. • DE Nolan Smith could be back next Monday night at Green Bay, or at least the Eagles hope he will. The third-year edge rusher landed on Injured Reserve after Week 3 against the Rams back in September with a re-injury of the triceps he tore in the Super Bowl. The bye week buys Smith that extra time to rest up and get ready, for sure, but when he does come back, his arm will likely still be vulnerable. "If you can tear a perfectly good triceps, you can re-tear one that has been re-paired," Dr. Dhanaraj followed up. "It's not like we put some sort of indestructible thing in there. It's literally your own tendon repaired to the bone with sutures and anchors." • DE Brandon Graham has been there, first with an initial tear of his triceps midway through last season that was dubbed a season-ender, and then with a re-tear of it in the Super Bowl after he rehabbed enough and the Eagles pushed far enough for him to play in one more game. That re-tear didn't seem like much of a problem at the time. The Eagles won the Super Bowl, and Graham was set to retire and ride off into the sunset after a storied 15-year career. He'd have all the time in the world to heal up with no real rush. That retirement was short-lived, though. Graham decided to come back and play for the rest of 2025. He's fully healthy now, but is he 37, and using the time off to ramp back up to the NFL speed. There's a lot to do, but Dr. Dhanaraj said that process does have to be taken slowly but surely. "He's got to be feeling strong, and he's got to be feeling, hopefully, minimal pain," Dr. Dhanaraj said. "It's listening to his body," Dr. Dhanaraj added. "And making sure he's not having overt symptoms of pain or even weakness." But then again, that goes for every Eagles over these next 15 days. "This is not a time for conditioning or training," Dr. Dhanaraj said. "It's probably for just recovering, and I hope they'll take that for the bye week." SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
