Eagles open practice window for two players as they return from bye originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles will be welcoming back two members of their team at practice on Wednesday as they return from the bye week.
On Monday afternoon, the team opened 21-day practice windows for safety Sydney Brown and receiver Ainias Smith.
By activating these practice windows, the Eagles will have 21 days to make a decision on both of these players. By the end of three weeks, they must either activate them to the 53-man roster or shut them down for the rest of the season.
Brown, 24, has been on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the first month of the season. He has been recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Week 18 of his rookie season at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 7.
The news of Brown’s return to practice is not a surprise. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio before the Week 5 bye said he expected Brown’s practice window to be opened upon their return. Getting the third-round pick back in the mix could definitely help Fangio’s defense.
“He’s a good football player that brings energy,” Fangio said last week. “I think he’s a good tackler. I’m excited to see him for the first time. Where he’ll exactly fit in, we’ll have to see.”
During recent practices, it had been clear that Brown (5-10, 211) was getting close to a return. He has been working hard on a side field with trainers. While Brown’s initial goal was to be ready for the start of his second season, he had to take things a tad slower, which was probably wise.
As a rookie third-round pick last year, Brown played in 14 games with 6 starts. He had 45 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception that he retuned 99 yards for a touchdown. He also played 220 special teams snaps in 2023.
During his first season in the NFL, Brown played a couple different positions on defense — safety and nickel — but Fangio said last week that they’d like to ease Brown back into action at one spot. That will most likely be safety.
No matter where Brown exactly fits in, it seems obvious that the plan will be to activate him this season. We’ll see what happens with Smith.
Smith, 23, has been on Injured Reserve since before final cuts with an ankle injury that was expected to keep him out 4-6 weeks. Had Smith not been placed on IR, he was in serious jeopardy of not making the Eagles’ 53-man roster.
The fifth-round pick out of Texas A&M got off to a really rough start in training camp but eventually started to turn a corner just before final cuts. There was some intrigue about whether or not the Eagles were going to keep him on the active roster. Thanks to his injury, the Eagles were able to put him on IR (designated to return) instead.
As the Eagles return from the bye week, they are expecting to get back A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) but are still without Britain Covey (shoulder), who is on IR. But even if Brown and Smith are back, the Eagles have just four healthy receivers on their 53-man roster: Brown, Smith, Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson.
At Texas A&M, Smith (5-9, 176) played in 50 games over five seasons and caught 180 passes for 2,407 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was also a good punt returner, averaging 10.2 yards per pop and a career-high 14.3 as a senior in 2023.
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