Injury Report: DeMarco Murray, Mychal Kendricks Questionable For Showdown In Washington
By Kevin McGuire
When the Philadelphia Eagles head down to take on Washington this Sunday, they will have more than the weather to worry about. The Eagles are a banged up team heading into this weekend's NFC East battle. Running back DeMarco Murray (hamstring) is listed as questionable for the Birds, and linebacker Kiko Alonso (knee) and defensive ends Cedric Thornton (hand) and Taylor Hart (shoulder) are listed as out.
It would appear Murray is not likely to play at this point in the week despite being available for a full set of practices on Thursday and Friday. The hamstring injury has lingered though and could mean the new franchise running back will have to miss a second straight game. If Murray is out of the mix, that will mean more opportunities for Ryan Matthews, the team's other running back addition in the offseason. Matthews played well last weekend in a win over the New York Jets as Chip Kelly scaled back some things on offense to make things simpler for all involved. That approach appeared to work well with Matthews and Darren Sproles handling the bulk of the carries.
Offensive tackle Jason Peters is also listed as questionable for the Eagles. Peters is working through a quadricep injury that left him limited in practices earlier in the week, although he was available for the full Friday practice. Not having Peters in the lineup would be a significant issue for the Eagles because the offensive line is still working on locking down in run protection despite a positive performance last week. The pass protection has not been a major concern for the Eagles, but not having Peters available to help block for Sam Bradford would be a tough blow. Peters could be replaced by Dennis Kelly this week if he is not available to play.
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks continues to battle through a hamstring injury as well. Kendricks is listed as questionable for this week but he was in full practices all week. A decision on his status for the Washington game may be made closer to kickoff on Sunday. Kendricks has been backed up by Kiko Alonso on the depth chart, but Alonso is out due to his knee injury. With Alonso out, Kendricks will have to be backed up by Jordan Hicks, who played well against the Jets.
Probable:
Trey Burton, TE (Shoulder)
Riley Cooper, WR (Knee)
Josh Huff, WR (Hamstring)
Questionable:
Mychal Kendricks, LB (Hamstring)
Chris Maragos, S (Quadricep)
DeMarco Murray, RB (Hamstring)
Jason Peters, T (Quadricep)
Out:
Kiko Alonso, LB (Knee)
Taylor Hart, DE (Shoulder)
Cedric Thornton, DE (Hand)
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
