Mathews nursing ankle injury

PHILADELPHIA » Eagles running back Ryan Mathews is starting early this season.

The oft-injured Mathews hurt an ankle last week prompting the Eagles to put him on the Active-NFI list.

The non-football injury list is for injuries suffered away from team activities.

Mathews’ issue is considered minor per a source, but he won’t practice Thursday. He’s played in all 16 games just once in a six-year career.

Last year Mathews played in 13 games, finishing second on the Birds with 539 rushing yards and tied for second with 7 touchdowns.

Mathews, 28, can come off the list at any time. If he’s still on NFI at the end of training camp he’ll have to sit out at least the first six games of the season.

All it means right now is more work for Wendell Smallwood, the fourthround pick out of West Virginia, and other running backs.

Head coach Doug Pederson is eager to see Smallwood practice in shoulder pads Saturday. Smallwood (5-10, 204) led the Big 12 in rushing and clocked a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.

“He’s going to put himself in a position, I’m hoping, to help us this season,” Pederson said. “I think he’s that good. Excellent route runner, good hands, patient runner and I love the fact that he’s kind of a onecut, no-nonsense type guy. He’s a downhill guy but fast enough to separate and create some long runs. Once we start getting into pads, protection, how well can he protect? A lot of backs in college that come to this level, that’s something that they’ve got to learn extremely fast.”

The Eagles signed rookie wide receiver David Watford (Hampton) to take Mathews’ spot on the roster.