There was actually some good news from Eagles camp Saturday. Jordan Matthews promises he’ll be ready for opening day.
“For sure,” Matthews said Saturday.
Matthews, the Eagles’ the third-year wide receiver, hasn’t practiced since getting hit in the knee at practice by rookie cornerback Jalen Mills on Aug. 8.
It doesn’t look likely he’ll play against the Colts next week in Indianapolis, and since the starters don’t play in the finale preseason game, there’s a decent chance Matthews will go into the regular season without a single snap in a preseason game.
“I’ve played I feel like enough football to where obviously I know I can do that,” Matthews said Saturday.
“Is it ever ideal? No, especially for me. I like to get reps. I like to go out there and practice. For me all the reps are the same. Whether I’m practicing Week 1 or practicing Jets week, I’m going to put 100 percent into it.
“Getting those live game reps, you always want to be able to do that. But that’s why I put so much importance into the offseason talking about chemistry, being around guys that you know, so it’s not like I’m missing reps with a quarterback I haven’t worked with before or with a bunch of guys in the offensive group that I don’t have a good flow with, a good camaraderie with.”
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Matthews is the only receiver the Eagles can really count on right now, so it’s obvious how desperate they are to get him back.
Draft picks Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff have yet to make an impact in the NFL, and veteran free agent pickups Chris Givens and Rueben Randle have not shown up yet in the preseason games. Paul Turner has been impressive, but he's an undrafted free agent, so who knows?
When it comes to Eagles wide receivers, it's Matthews and everyone else.
Matthews’ 152 catches in 2014 and 2015 are 10th-most in NFL history by a receiver in his first two seasons combined. He’s one of only 20 receivers in NFL history with eight or more touchdowns in each of his first two seasons.
Matthews wouldn’t speculate how far away he is from returning to practice, but he said he’s optimistic he can play next Saturday against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I’m always optimistic,” he said. “I’ve never really been hurt a lot in my career.
“Actually, these preseason games are the first time I’ve missed a game ever, since I started playing the sport. High school, Little League, college, pro. I’ve never missed a game, ever.
“So when I got hit in the knee I was like, ‘Oh, it sucks,’ but I knew it wasn’t going to be anything that was too devastating. I always have faith. I’m always optimistic. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”
Matthews, speaking with the media for the first time since he got hurt two weeks ago, said Mills immediately apologized for the borderline hit.
“It was under the line,” he said. “I’m not the type to get mad or upset or anything. That isn’t going to help my knee get any better.
“Right after it happened, Jaylen came up to me and he was like, ‘Yo, bro, I’m so sorry,’ and I just looked at him and said, ‘It’s cool, bro.’ I’m just not the type to get pissed off about that. It’s football.
“And just knowing him. Jalen’s an aggressive guy, and he wants to play hard and you have to think about the situation he’s in too. You’ve got a rookie who was drafted in the seventh round, probably shouldn’t have been drafted in the seventh round, wanting to make an NFL team.
“He’s in a full-contract drill, and it’s instant. Does he mean to hit me? Do I think he meant to hit me low? I don’t know. Probably did. That’s what they’re coached to do. On screens, they break it up by cutting.
“Do I think he was trying to hurt me? No. Obviously not. So I spend less time being upset with him and more time trying to say, ‘OK, what’s the situation going on with my leg right now and what can I do to get back?’”
It’s just a matter of when.
“Those (teammates) are being patient with me, the coaches, they are too. They training staff, they’ve been great with me so far,” Matthews said.
“Even down to the people cooking the food. They’re putting a little bit extra stuff to take the inflammation down for me. Everybody’s helping me out. So yeah, of course I can’t wait to get back. But everybody wants to be smart about it.”
