Back in early June, Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby said he expected to be ready for training camp as he rehabbed his torn ACL, but it appears he won't be quite ready to go when the team takes the field for their first full-team practice on Thursday.
Darby is expected to start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
This is noteworthy, but might not end up being much of a big deal.
The PUP list referenced in this report is the Active/PUP and Darby likely won't be the only Eagle on it at the beginning of camp. Basically, the Active/PUP is an insurance policy in case a player needs to go on the Reserve/PUP (and then miss six games) to start the season. That list saves roster spots. If a player isn't on the Active/PUP, they're not eligible for the Reserve/PUP.
So it makes sense to put any player who is rehabbing an injury and not yet ready to be a full participant on this list. The Eagles have other possible names to add to the list like Brandon Brooks, Jalen Mills, Corey Clement, Rodney McLeod, etc., guys who are recovering from serious injuries. The Eagles will probably announce their full list on Thursday morning.
Rapoport said there's still a "legit possibility" Darby is ready for Week 1, which jibes with what Darby said himself last month. His plan has always been Week 1. In early June, Darby said he didn't feel 100 percent yet, but was getting there.
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Darby, 25, also said part of the reason he came back to the Eagles on a one-year deal (that made him the highest-paid corner on the roster) was because of his comfortability and familiarity here. This way, he could focus on his recovery instead of also trying to learn a new system, coach and players. Once Darby is healthy, the Eagles can just throw him back out there.
Without Darby and Mills (foot) this spring, the Eagles used Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox and Sidney Jones as their first-team corners. We'll see if Mills is ready for the start of camp. Either way, the Eagles' cornerback depth chart is going to be one of the more fascinating storylines of the summer.
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