Jackson likely to undergo surgery, miss season
PHILADELPHIA >> Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson suffered a Lisfranc sprain to his left foot Sunday during the Birds’ opener against the Washington Redskins. He will likely undergo surgery, according to a source.
The NFL Network reported that Jackson, who twisted the wrong way on a spin move late in the Eagles’ 32-27 win over the Redskins, would miss the rest of the season. Jackson damaged ligaments in the foot.
It’s a major blow to Jackson, who was seeking redemption after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s also hurtful for the Eagles, who were counting on him to supply the inside pass rush that helped make his previous employer dynamic on defense.
“We’ll probably be without him for a while,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said Tuesday. “Malik is an important part of what we do, and we’ll certainly miss him when he’s not on the field. But we have plenty of guys that can step up and play. And that’s nothing new in the NFL, doesn’t change our task from game to game and it doesn’t change our task over the course of the year. We’ll get him healthy and get him back. If I know Malik, he’ll do a good job staying engaged while he’s rehabbing.”
To help fill the void, the Eagles Tuesday signed former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Akeem Spence, who had been released by the club.
The 6-foot-1, 300-pound Spence spent four years with Tampa Bay and one with Detroit before joining the Dolphins last season.
Veteran Tim Jernigan is the likely starter at that spot across from All-Pro tackle Fletcher Cox, with Hassan Ridgeway seeing more action as the third tackle. Jernigan had the only sack of Case Keenum in the opener.
“It was a hurry-up situation so you weren’t able to get Timmy’s shimmy, soto-speak, after he makes his play,” Schwartz said of Jernigan’s celebration. “But that brings us energy. Any time he makes a play it brings us energy on defense.”
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was fearful of losing Jackson to “a significant injury” at his Monday presser. Jackson was the defensive centerpiece of the Eagles’ offseason, the team signing him to a three-year $30 million contract.
The Eagles figured the 6-5, 290-pound Jackson would take some of the double-teaming away from Cox, who led the Eagles with 10.5 sacks last season. Jackson had a pretty good run with the Jaguars until falling out of favor in the 2018 season.
But it didn’t work Sunday. One sack operating against a patchwork offensive line is an issue the Eagles need to solve in a hurry. The Eagles are 1.5-point favorites on the road Sunday night versus the Atlanta Falcons, who were beaten, 28-12, at Minnesota this past weekend.
In another move, the Eagles waived tight end Alex Ellis, who had been promoted from the practice squad four days earlier.