A few key Eagles miss practice as they begin Week 8

A few key Eagles miss practice as they begin Week 8 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles were missing a few key players as they kicked off their practice week ahead of their game against the Bengals.

Tight end Dallas Goedert (hamstring) and right guard Mekhi Becton (concussion) were not seen on the field as practice began on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Byron Young (hamstring) and offensive guard Trevor Keegan (unknown) were also not at practice.

Meanwhile, linebacker Zack Baun (shoulder) was out there as a spectator and working on a side field without a helmet.

The Eagles will release their first injury report of the week later on Wednesday afternoon.

Goedert missed Sunday’s game against the Giants but was not put on Injured Reserve, which signals that the Eagles expect him to miss fewer than four games. Without Goedert, the Eagles had just two tight ends active against the Giants: Grant Calcaterra and Jack Stoll.

Becton suffered a concussion early against the Giants and was replaced by Tyler Steen, who was taking reps at right guard in his place on Wednesday. If Becton is unable to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol by Sunday, it would be Steen who replaces him.

With Jordan Mailata (hamstring) on IR, the Eagles could be without two of their starting offensive linemen against the Bengals. Here’s the OL from Wednesday (L to R): Fred Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Steen, Lane Johnson

Darius Slay (knee) and Eli Ricks (groin) were practicing on Wednesday. Slay played against the Giants but did miss some time during the game. Ricks did not play last week.

The Eagles made a few roster moves before Wednesday’s practice:

• OL Jack Driscoll was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad

• WR Parris Campbell and DT Siaki Ika were both signed to the practice squad

With those moves, the Eagles roster is full at 53 players but they have ways to free up a roster spot if they want to.

That’s worth noting because WR Ainias Smith (ankle) has been practicing since his practice window opened on Oct. 7. The Eagles will have to decide soon to either activate him to the 53-man roster or shut him down for the season on IR. Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen) had his window opened on Oct. 16, so the Eagles have an extra week to make a decision on him.

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