Prior to the Philadelphia Eagles’ pivotal Week 7 “Sunday Night Football” game against the formidable Miami Dolphins (5-1), the team shared encouraging news about the health of a number of important players on both sides of the ball.
Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson, and rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter did not have any injury designations on the Eagles’ injury report, which was made public on Friday.
An ankle injury forced Carter to miss Philly’s Week 6 loss to the New York Jets. The first-year pass-rusher has looked anything but over the first five games of his NFL career, recording 3.5 sacks, seven tackles (four for loss), four QB hits and two forced fumbles. Despite sitting out a week, Carter remains the highest-graded (91.8) interior defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Slay is also back in the Eagles lineup after missing a game with an ankle injury. Safety Reed Blankenship (ribs) and CB Bradley Roby (shoulder) are ruled out for Sunday, so a healthy Slay will give the Eagles secondary a significant boost as he’ll likely line up against explosive wideout Tyreek Hill more than not.
The Dolphins offense ranks first in the NFL in yards (498.7), rushing (181.8) and passing (316.8), along with points per game (37.2), and it’ll be a chore trying to slow them down. However, having Carter and Slay back at full strength gives the Eagles a fighter’s chance.
Sometimes countering with an effective attack of your own is the greatest way to halt an offense that looks invincible, like Miami’s. The return of Johnson to lead the Eagles’ already strong offensive line will allow them to go full bore on the 19th-ranked Dolphins defense (343.7). Even if Johnson is probably not fully recovered, his presence alone will be a huge asset for the Eagles, particularly in light of the fact that Jake Driscoll, his substitute, failed miserably in relief against the Jets.
Johnson, along with two of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ primary weapons, tight end Dallas Goedert (groin) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring), exited last week’s game with an ankle injury, raising questions about their availability for this one. However, similar to Johnson, both will play at home versus
