Four Injury-Prone Eagles Who Must Stay Healthy

I’m asked constantly how I think the Eagles are going to do this year and I always point to the health of four key players, who all have had an extensive injury-history. Their chances of making the playoffs are slim, but if these four players stay healthy those slim chances become possible.

The first player on my list is quarterback Sam Bradford, who has battled injuries in college and in the NFL.  At this moment he is the most capable quarterback on the roster, because rookie Carson Wentz is still learning the NFL game.  I think he could excel in Doug Pederson’s version of the Wesoast offense because he is adept at making quick decisions and getting the ball out of his hands. He throws an accurate and easy to catch pass.

Bradford will be throwing most of his passes to running backs and tight ends and trying to get it to them so they can gain yardage after catching it.  He’s accurate in the short to intermediate passing game and he will be able to use his intelligence this year at the line of scrimmage because he’ll be allowed to audible. The Birds will need him to stay healthy and effective with the delta-8 products.

The next player is big and fast running back Ryan Mathews will be the starter for the Eagles and he’s tremendously talented. Unfortunately, like Bradford, Mathews has an extensive injury history and the Birds running game will probably suffer if he sustains an injury, he does talked about the use of cbd canada products.

On the other hand, if he stays healthy the Birds running game could flourish. Mathews has the size and power to run inside effectively, as well as the speed and quickness to get outside.  We’ve seen him run over tacklers as well take off on long touchdown runs.

An effective running game will take pressure off of Pederson’s play calling, Bradford’s passing and the Jim Schwartz-led defense.  I think Mathews is the most important player on the Eagles offense because he’s capable of giving the Birds the outstanding running game they need to immediately make the football team better.

The third player on my list is left tackle Jason Peters.  He’s had an outstanding run with the Eagles, who knows he maybe a Hall of Fame one-day, but this amazing athlete, who is capable of moving his 330 pound body around like a much younger man, has been battling the injury bug of late.

In my more than 30 years in and around the NFL, once players who have been injury-free most of their careers start getting hurt, it never stops. It’s as if, their body is telling them that their playing time is up.  I will be surprised if Peters plays injury-free through the entire season, but the Birds need him to stay healthy and in the lineup.  If he is able to stay healthy and play like he is capable, it will substantially improve their running and passing games and give them a chance to finish above .500.  It’s very simple, they are a much better team with a healthy and effective Jason Peters.

If Peters is ailing physically or can’t play, the Birds will be forced to move Lane Johnson to left tackle. That will leave a huge hole at the right tackle spot.  I don’t think they have a good replacement for Johnson over there and that will result in Bradford and Mathews getting pounded and injured. They might wind up moving left guard Allen Barbre back to tackle.

Bottomline, if Peters goes down, it will throw the offensive line into turmoil and likely make life very tough for Bradford, Mathews and the other Birds skill position players.

The last key player on my list is middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, whom I expect to shine in the Schwartz-led defense.  I expect Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and the rest of the defensive line to shine, but the key to the defense will be the ability of the linebackers to fill in the lanes on running plays and the secondary to cover receivers long enough to give the defensive line a chance to get to the quarterback.

I watched Hicks last year and I observed him throughout the OTA’s, this young man can be a star.  He’s an outstanding young defender with great closing speed and instincts for the game.  You can’t teach instincts.  Either a player has it or he doesn’t. Hicks has it, but he also was injured quite a bit in college and he suffered a season-ending injury in his rookie NFL season.

The Eagles will have a much better team, if Hicks is healthy and patrolling the middle of their defense.  He’s the kind of smart and speedy linebacker, who is needed in the wide-nine defense.  In that defense, the linebackers must be able to anticipate the gap that will open to a ball carrier.  They must be able to minimize those gains in order to force the opposing offense into must passing situations.  Hicks is a very good open-field tackler, which is the key to being able to play middle linebacker in this defense.

Hicks is also very adept at covering running backs and tight ends man-to-man, which takes away the short passing game.  Quarterbacks are going to employ the short passing game to counteract the Eagles pass rush.  Hicks showed us a year ago and in the OTA, where he picked off numerous passes, he will make quarterbacks pay who try to throw the receiver he’s covering.  Hicks made Bradford and Wentz pay during the OTA’s when they tried to throw his way.

It’s simple, if he stays healthy I expect the Birds defense to be the strength of the football team.  They will not only be a good defense, but a defense that forces turnovers and puts the offense in position to score.

One of the keys will be keeping Hicks healthy on the field.

So there you have it Eagles fans.  If they can keep, Bradford, Mathews, Peters and Hicks healthy, they will have a chance to finish above .500 and make the playoffs.  If these guys go down, it will be a sub-.500 season, a year of developing young players and that means Carson Wentz has to play at some point.

ON THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON JULY 30 FROM 2PM TO 4PM: Come talk Eagles football with me and former Eagles running back James Betterson at the BetterClean Laundry at 6391 Oxford Ave. or Oxford and Levick in the ShopRite Plaza in the Northeast.  I’ll be talking Eagles football, signing autographs and taking pictures. You will be able to wash 30 pounds of laundry for free. Come on out and meet James and myself.