Updated: 5:11 p.m.
Jay Ajayi missed practice on Sunday, but he expects to practice on Monday. More importantly, he expects to be ready to go for Week 1's game on Thursday.
Ajayi has been dealing with injury for the last couple of weeks, but Doug Pederson on Sunday morning said Jay Ajayi was doing "great."
At the start of practice Sunday, Ajayi wasn't out there. He did show up a few minutes later but wasn't in pads and was working with a trainer on a side field.
Ajayi began missing practice on Aug. 19 with what Pederson said was a "lower-body injury." We'll find out later this week whether or not Ajayi practices in full. We'll also find out what specific injury has been hampering him. While the upper body, lower body works for the Eagles in the summer, the official injury reports in the regular season must be more specific. Those injury reports won't start until Monday.
Ajayi played in the first two preseason games this year and had 10 rushing attempts for 43 yards. After getting in great shape this offseason, he looked good in limited action this summer.
After playing in those first two preseason games, Ajayi missed the dress rehearsal in the third and hasn't practiced since.
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This is a big year for the 25-year-old running back. He came to the Eagles in the middle of the 2017 season, so he was always catching up. This year, he has a much better grasp of the playbook. That comes at a good time, because LeGarrette Blount left in free agency and Ajayi is going to be the Eagles' featured back. Now, that means something slightly different in Philly, where there's still going to be a rotation. But Ajayi is going to start and will presumably get the most carries.
The other reason this is a big year for Ajayi is because he's entering the final year of his rookie contract and this might very well be his best chance to really get paid as an NFL running back. The chance to earn a lot of money is obviously motivating for him.
