Before the Eagles broke for their month off leading up to training camp, Doug Pederson was asked for his biggest concern about his team.
He said health.
Well listen, we got guys that are nicked up who haven't been with us and you know some of those are going to linger. I guess as a coach for me I want to be 100 percent heading into training camp and obviously, we are going to be close. I also understand too that this is a long season and training camp is long and we don't play games for a while so I'm going to make sure everybody is 100 percent or 110 percent before they hit the football field. But, really other than that, the overall health of the team is sort of my biggest concern with the team right now heading into the season.
As Pederson said, there are several players who are going to be close to being ready for training camp. So expect the Eagles to put a few players on the Active/PUP list before training camp. Basically any player coming off a serious injury who isn't ready to practice should be on that list. They can be removed whenever they're ready to practice, but they can't be added to the Reserve/PUP list without being on this list first. Think of it as an insurance policy.
Anyway, let's take a look through the roster at Eagles who are recovering from injuries. We'll go in alphabetical order:
Josh Adams - The second-year running back out of Notre Dame had offseason shoulder surgery but was back on the field this spring. He should be good to go for training camp.
Nelson Agholor - The Eagles' slot receiver missed the last few days of the spring with a "lower-body injury" but is expected to be fine for camp. There was even video of him working out in the last month with Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Derek Barnett - As of OTAs and minicamp, Barnett wasn't back to being a full participant. Barnett's 2018 season ended early when he needed shoulder surgery after tearing his rotator cuff. Pederson had been impressed by how Barnett attacked his recovery. He's now about nine months removed from surgery, so he should be back.
Nigel Bradham - Bradham had thumb surgery during last season and kept on playing. We're not exactly sure what kept Bradham out during the spring, but before the team broke for summer, he told me he expected to be back for training camp.
Brandon Brooks - In the playoff game against the Saints, Brooks tore his Achilles. He's been furiously rehabbing since. We're a little over six months since his surgery and it appears, based on videos from Brooks, that the rehab is going well. Brooks has said all along his goal is Week 1; it might be close.
Corey Clement - Clement's season ended with a knee injury in December. In the spring, he was back on the practice field as a limited participant.
Fletcher Cox - He played through it but Cox suffered a significant foot injury in the loss to the Saints that required surgery. Back in April, he said his goal was to be ready for training camp.
Ronald Darby - The Eagles brought Darby back this offseason as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL he suffered on Nov. 11. He did some work during the spring, but said he was going to be ready for training camp. We'll see how much he does and how they ramp up his work.
Mack Hollins - This will be an important training camp for Hollins, who missed the entire 2018 season with a mysterious groin injury. He's far removed from sports hernia surgery and took the field at OTAs as a limited participant. He should be good to go for training camp barring a setback.
Jordan Mailata - Mailata had a stress fracture at the end of last season that landed him on the IR. He healed during the offseason and was practicing at OTAs, so he's good to go.
Rodney McLeod - Like Darby, McLeod is coming back from an ACL tear, but McLeod's injury happened early in the 2018 season. The start of training camp is about 10 months from the injury date. This was the first major injury of McLeod's NFL career, so he's in uncharted territory. But, like a lot of these guys, McLeod said he expected to be ready for camp.
Jalen Mills - A foot injury ended Mills' season early in 2018 and it seemed to get worse over time last year. Unlike some of his teammates, Mills wasn't even on a side field running during OTAs, but he did post a video recently of him working out.
Josh Perkins - Yeah, Perkins is still on the team after suffering a serious knee injury last season. He's been kind of forgotten since the top three tight ends seem to be set, but he was practicing at OTAs.
Jason Peters - Technically, Peters isn't hurt right now, but he's 37, so don't expect him to be overworked this summer. And it's important to note he's another year removed from that ACL tear.
Miles Sanders - A nagging hamstring injury kept the second-round pick off of the field during OTAs and minicamp, but it was mostly precautionary. He'll need to - pardon the cliche - hit the ground running in training camp.
Josh Sweat - He's completely healthy now after an ankle injury ended his rookie season early. Big training camp coming for Sweat.
Carson Wentz - All eyes will be on Wentz, who is completely healthy after a stress fracture in his back last season. He was a full participant during the spring.
Paul Worrilow - The linebacker tore his ACL early in OTAs last year, but rehabbed and signed another one-year deal to return to the Eagles. During OTAs, the Eagles had to pull him back a bit, so we'll see if he's a full-go at training camp.
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
