Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has not yet cleared the NFL's concussion protocol, but he's getting closer.
And head coach Doug Pederson thinks Elliott will be able to play Sunday.
"I do believe and I feel in the bottom of my heart that Jake will be ready," Pederson said.
Elliott suffered a concussion in the first half of the game against the Cowboys, which forced the Eagles to finish the game without a real kicker. Kamu Grugier-Hill filled in on kickoffs and the offense went for two-point conversions after touchdowns.
"Obviously, we'll take it day by day with [Elliott] and we're hoping obviously," Pederson said. "At the same time, we have to have a backup plan if that doesn't come true. As of right now, everything is looking good for him, where he's at right now."
While Elliott hasn't cleared the concussion protocol, he is apparently moving through it quickly. He is in meetings Wednesday and will be on the practice field as an observer. Both are indications that he is doing much better.
If Elliott isn't ready for game action Sunday, the Eagles have a couple options. The first would be to bring back Caleb Sturgis from injured reserve. Sturgis hurt his hip in the opener, which actually allowed Elliott to come in and win the job.
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Sturgis has been kicking and rehabbing and Pederson said Sturgis is "close" to being able to return. In order to activate Sturgis, the Eagles would need to cut someone to create a roster space.
But if Sturgis and Elliott are both not ready for the game Sunday against the Bears, the Eagles would need to go outside of the organization and sign a kicker. They're obviously hoping they don't have to do that.
Either way, the Eagles are going to have a kicker against the Bears. When asked if he would consider going into a game without a real kicker, Pederson flatly said "no."
"You definitely want somebody that can kick," Pederson said. "A professional kicker."
Grugier-Hill filled in adequately on kickoffs against the Cowboys but did not attempt an extra point or field goal. He became the emergency kicker after Chris Maragos was lost for the season with a torn PCL.
Maragos was at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday and said he got a kick out of watching Grugier-Hill kick off. He texted him to compliment him on his "golden toe."
