Eagles Get Starting Middle Linebacker Back at Practice

The Eagles had everyone on their active roster practicing on Wednesday as they near their first playoff game against the Falcons on Saturday.

Veteran middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hamstring) returned to the practice field on Wednesday after missing Tuesday. He stretched and took part in position drills in the portion of practice that was open to reporters. Ellerbe will be listed as either a full participant or a limited participant when the official injury report is released later in the day.

Ellerbe doesn't play a ton for the Eagles, but he is the MIKE linebacker in their base package. He took over that role from Joe Walker, who was injured and then subsequently placed on IR. Ellerbe comes off the field when the defense goes into Nickel, while Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham stay on.

Brandon Graham (ankle), Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) and Jay Ajayi (knee) were all on the field again Wednesday. They were listed on the injury report as full participants Tuesday. All three appear to be good to go for Saturday's game.

That means the Eagles are relatively healthy going into the playoffs. Sure, they've suffered some major season-ending injuries throughout the season, but the guys who are on the 53-man roster right now are healthy for the game.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Matt Ryan was back at practice after being given a personal day on Tuesday. Falcons coach Dan Quinn declined to say why Ryan missed practice.

Sidney Jones has been practicing without interruption for the last few weeks and played in the regular-season finale. It's unclear if he'll have a role with the Eagles in the playoffs, but if he doesn't, it won't be a product of any lingering injury. He appears fully recovered from his Achilles tear.

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The Eagles practiced indoors on Wednesday. Head coach Doug Pederson said he hoped to get outside once this week but it hasn't happened yet. The Eagles have their last practice day on Thursday, when temperatures are supposed to hit around 50 degrees.