Add Bradham’s broken thumb to cast of injuries
PHILADELPHIA >> Eagles coaches first became aware of the pain that linebacker Nigel Bradham was in Sunday when he came to the sideline to check the adjustments necessary to defend the Giants.
“The hand is so swollen he can’t get it inside the glove,” linebackers coach Ken Flajole said Wednesday. “One thing about Nigel is he’s a pretty tough nut. Pretty competitive. He didn’t want to come out of the ballgame even though I’m sure there was tremendous discomfort with that thumb. That’s a big credit to him. Jim (Schwartz) addressed that this morning with our team. Guys like him and Michael Bennett, who had a foot issue and went back in the game. I would say this, there’s probably been players on other teams who could have said, ‘I’ll sit this one I’m a little dinged-up.’ But those guys went back in the game. Credit to them.”
Bradham said he had surgery on the thumb but expects to be in the lineup Monday night when the Eagles host the Redskins.
That gives the Eagles two linebackers with busted thumbs who will play in casts, as Kamu GrugierHill underwent surgery after breaking his right one against the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
The game is crucial to the playoff hopes of the Eagles
(5-6) as the Redskins (6-5) are tied with the Cowboys
(6-5) for the NFC East lead. With the Cowboys favored to come up small Thursday against the Saints, the Eagles could be playing for a share of the division lead. A victory would ease some of the pain for Bradham, who has had better years.
“Not great, obviously,” Bradham said of his season. “Definitely we’re not where we want to be as a team. Individually I would say I’m not where I want to be. I’ve made a couple plays, I’ve missed a couple plays.
“I want to be out there, regardless. It’s just always been my thing. I’m always trying to be available.”
The Eagles need to rally to the ball to stop Adrian Peterson, the 33-year-old running back who Bradham insists is still a force. He is just the latest in a long line of downhill backs the Eagles haven’t done a great of tackling, a list that includes Zeke Elliott, Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley, among others. Elliott rushed for 151 yards against the Eagles. Barkley stamped two 100-yard games on the Birds.
Playing with a cast was a factor in Hill failing to pick off Dak Prescott of the Cowboys and take the ball to the house in their game Nov. 11. Putting a big back on the ground is immensely more difficult while wearing a cast.
“It gets tough, particularly on tackles,” Flajole said. “It’s hard to grab and wrap-up. There are some challenges to it but it’s not insurmountable. I’ve seen a lot of people play with them and play well. But there’s certainly limitations.”
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It’s early in the process, but Eagles veteran Zach Ertz leads all NFC tight ends with 381,780 Pro Bowl votes in the fan balloting.
Ertz is the only Eagles player to lead at a position. The fan voting allegedly counts one-third in the Pro Bowl process. The players and coaches’ votes also count one-third each.
With 84 receptions, Ertz is tied for third in the NFL with Julio Jones of the Falcons.
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With 14 dropped passes, the Eagles are tied for 10th in the league.
Ertz leads the Eagles with four drops, although Golden Tate has six, including five from his tour with Matt Stafford and the Lions.
The Redskins have just seven dropped passes, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Josh Doctson tops Washington with two drops.
The Eagles have attempted 413 passes to 378 for the Redskins.
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The Eagles are 6 1/2-point favorites over the Redskins, who they have defeated in four straight Monday night games.
The latest was last year, by a 34-24 margin, at Lincoln Financial Field.