Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Core muscle issue has DeSean on slow track
PHILADELPHIA >> DeSean Jackson is working as hard as he can to rehab a core muscle injury and return to action. That’s the good news. When the 32-year-old veteran does return – and if he has a setback, he probably won’t – it’s entirely likely he won’t be anything like the game-breaker who torched the Washington Redskins with eight receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the opener.
In the short term, Jackson has been ruled out of the Sunday night showdown with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
“With the type of injury that he has, and him being a track guy, a speed guy, it affects you,” Doug Pederson said Friday. “It makes a difference. Is he going to be 100% when he comes back? Probably not. Is he going to feel better? Yeah, he’ll feel better and be able to put it behind him and focus on football.”
If you’re a fan of offensive tackle Jason Peters or linebacker Nigel Bradham, you’re out of luck this week. They’re also out.
Joining them in sweats will be cornerback Avonte Maddox (neck), running back Darren Sproles (quad) and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.
The good news is cornerback Ronald Darby (hamstring) is expected to be back in the starting lineup along with Jalen Mills, who hasn’t played since the middle of the 2018 season. They were the starting cornerbacks for the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
The absence of Peters brings rookie first-round pick Andre Dillard his first NFL start at left tackle. Hopefully it will be better than that preseason start where quarterback Cody Kessler was KO’d early in the game on a pass rush around left tackle.
But back to Jackson, who Pederson said was close to getting back on the field this week yet was unable to even practice.
In praising Jackson – who hasn’t played effectively since the season opener – for making progress in rehab, Pederson said the receiver who hasn’t practiced in five weeks wouldn’t return until he was 100 percent. It sounded suspiciously like a pep talk.
“One of the things I appreciate about DeSean is how hard he has been working to get back on the football field,” Pederson said. “His hard work, his dedication. But this injury, it’s tricky. He wants to be 100 percent, we want him to be 100 percent so I’m not going to push him, I’m not going to rush him. I want him to feel and be the DeSean we know he’s capable of being before we put him back out there.”
Pederson referenced the injury as “a core muscle deal,” which is the code name for sports hernia.
No one would be surprised if Peters had an extended absence as well.
“It’s a little bit more extensive with him,” Pederson said.
With Bradham out and veteran Zach Brown no more, the latter cut earlier in the week, Nate Gerry will make the calls and wear the radio microphone for the Philly defense.
The Eagles and the Cowboys both are 3-3.
The Cowboys are threepoint favorites this weekend even though they’ve lost three straight games, including last Sunday against the previously winless Jets.
The last time the Cowboys lost four in a row was during the 2015 season, when they won their first two games with Tony Romo, then lost seven in a row after he was hurt.
It’s all hands on deck for the Cowboys, who list as questionable leading wide receiver Amari Cooper (quad, ankle), starting tackles Tyron Smith (ankle) and La’el Collins (knee), starting right guard Zack Martin (back), receiver Randall Cobb (back), starting cornerback Byron Jones (hamstring), defensive end Dorance Armstrong (neck) and center Joe Looney (back).
••• For those fascinated with ESPN reports, an anonymous Eagle citing esoteric statistics criticized the team’s offense and quarterback Carson Wentz for forcing the ball down the field instead of checking it down and taking the safer throws.
Pederson considered the report ridiculous.
“I’ve seen them,” Pederson said. “I’ve seen them and I’ll tell you this, for those of you that know football and watch football, a check-down is part of the game. But what people sometimes don’t understand is you may lose your back in protection. He may get caught up in the wash of the protection. He may not get out. … If you have the availability of a back or a tight end in that position, we will utilize it.
“You don’t like to have anonymous guys but at the same time, I hate to say it, but we’re kind of focused on the Cowboys right now.”
Pederson almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of the report. He cannot remember being criticized for a lack of checkdowns.
“I never heard that one before,” Pederson said. “We’re not throwing deep enough and now we’re not throwing it short enough. I don’t get it.”
••• NOTES >> Wentz, with 12 TD passes, is tied with Jameis Winston for fourth in the league. Matt Ryan leads the circuit with 15 TD passes, Pat Mahomes and Russell Wilson 14 each. Dak Prescott has 11 TD passes and six interceptions. … The Cowboys are the only NFL team that hasn’t started any drives inside opposing territory this season. The Eagles rank in the top five in the league having started nine drives inside opposing territory to this season. The Eagles’ average drive start position is the 31.1-yard line this season, third-best in the league.