DeVonta Smith (ankle) missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday and is in danger of missing his first NFL game on Sunday in North Jersey.
Smith, 25, injured his ankle in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals blocking on a screen pass for Kenny Gainwell on a 3rd-and-19.
After the game, Smith was seen outside the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot and on crutches. But Wednesday, Smith strolled through the Eagles’ locker room without the boot or crutches and didn’t appear to have a limp.
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Even if Smith misses Sunday’s game against the Giants — on a notoriously bad field in potentially miserable weather — there are reasons to believe he’ll be back for the Eagles’ first playoff game the following weekend.
On Thursday, Smith was the only Eagles player to miss practice as the Eagles got outside on a frigid January day with some sleet falling from the sky.
DNP: DeVonta Smith (ankle)
Limited: Jordan Davis (ankle), Darius Slay (knee)
News
Full: Zach Cunningham (knee), Avonte Maddox (elbow), Haason Reddick (illness)
Both Jordan Davis (ankle) and Haason Reddick (illness) returned after being listed as non-participants on the first injury report of the week. The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday so that first injury report was an estimation. Davis injured his ankle against the Cardinals but was able to return to the game.
The three players who were limited to start the week — Darius Slay (knee), Zach Cunningham (knee) and Avonte Maddox (elbow) — were practicing on Thursday. It's good news to see Cunningham and Maddox get bumped up to full participants from limited to start the week.
Getting Slay and Cunningham back in the defense will be a big boost for the Eagles whether it comes in Week 18 or in the playoffs the following weekend. Both players have missed the last three games. Slay had arthroscopic surgery on his knee but is nearing a return.
Maddox returned to action against the Cardinals after missing a couple months. He suffered a pectoral injury that needed surgery in Week 2 but worked his way back into the lineup. The bad news is that Maddox suffered an injury in his return. The good news is that it doesn’t seem like something that will keep him out of the playoffs.
The Eagles play the Giants at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. They are currently the No. 5 seed in the NFC and it seems somewhat likely they’ll stay there. But if they win and the Cowboys lose to the Commanders, the Eagles would win the NFC East and end up with the No. 2 seed, which would mean they’d start the playoffs at home.
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