It’s happened twice in the last three weeks now. Eagles starting right guard Brandon Brooks has been fine all week. He’s been fine at practice. He's been fine in meetings. He's been fine at the team hotel Saturday night.
Then at some point Sunday morning, the Eagles learn he’s sick and unavailable to play football that day.
Brooks, who the Eagles signed to a five-year, $40 million contract this offseason, has missed two of the last three games with mysterious ailments that haven’t manifested themselves until hours before kickoff and have left head coach Doug Pederson scrambling twice to reconfigure the team’s already depleted offensive line.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Pederson said.
Brooks missed the Packers game when he was hospitalized with what he said later was a violent stomach ailment. He missed games in 2014 and 2015 with the Texans with ulcers.
Brooks told CSNPhilly.com’s Dave Zangaro during Bengals week that the Packers ailment was unrelated to the ulcers.
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Brooks started at his usual right guard spot last weekend against the Bengals and played the entire game seemingly without any issues.
But Pederson said he learned Sunday morning from trainer Chris Peruzzi that Brooks would again be unavailable.
“He was fine at the meetings (Saturday night),” he said. “Everything was good.”
Pederson said Monday he was unsure if this latest incident was related to the Packers ailment and said he he hasn’t learned exactly what’s going on with the 27-year-old Brooks.
“We have not (found out) yet,” Pederson said. “That’s something we will continue to explore today with him and just see. It’s obviously unfortunate but we need to get to the bottom of it and just find out why.”
Brooks’ absences have made an already dire situation along the offensive line even worse.
The Eagles have been without Lane Johnson because of an NFL suspension, they’re without injured right tackle Haalipoulivaati Vaitai, they lost left guard/right tackle Allen Barbre to an injury during the Redskins game Sunday and then lost Matt Tobin to an injury at the end of the game.
Pederson said he’s unaware of Brooks having any sort of medical issues on any days other than game days.
“It’s happened on the actual day of the game,” Pederson said “There is a little history there, but it’s something our medical team will investigate more as we go.”
Asked if Brooks’ issues are mental or physical, Pederson said this:
“That I don’t know,” he said. “That’s something our medical team will dive into and try to find out.”
Brooks’ contract included an $11 million signing bonus and average annual base salaries of $5.8 million. It averages out to $500,000 per game.
So he’s earned $1 million for the two games he’s missed with an unexplained illness.
Pederson said Seumalo, a rookie third-round pick, gets some reps during the week normally, which has helped him be ready to play on just a few hours’ notice.
“We do that during the week anyway, just in case someone gets nicked up during the game,” Pederson said.
Pederson said Brooks remains the starting right guard.
But it really puts Pederson and his staff and the other offensive linemen in a tough position
“It can be a challenge,” Pederson said. “I think for us as coaches and as a staff, by giving Isaac these reps during the week, it definitely prepares for anything. It’s obviously no different if (Brooks) were to go down in the first quarter to an injury and (Seumalo) has to play.
“It is a difficult situation, but at the same time we feel comfortable with Isaac.”
