Watch CBS News

Eagles Getting Healthier As Practice Resumes

By Ed Benkin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --  Several of the Eagles walking wounded were back on the practice field Tuesday as the players and coaches returned from their bye week.

Jason Kelce, Mychal Kendricks, Chris Polk and Darren Sproles were all back on the field with a game at Arizona looming on Sunday.  While there are no guarantees that all of the injured players will be back on Sunday, Quarterback Nick Foles was happy to see so many familiar faces back at practice.

"Just getting guys back is always great," said Foles.  "They've been approaching every single day since they've been injured with great work and recovery, and it's showing because they're getting out here fast."

Jason Kelce has still not completely recovered from sports hernia surgery and will likely be unable to play for at least another two weeks.  Kelce was glad to take another step towards his recovery, but knows he has to be careful as he continues to improve.

"There's a small chance of going out there and really doing something drastically bad to the injury," Kelce said. "What we're trying to avoid is a setback in the recovery process which wouldn't necessarily put me back into a six-to-eight week recovery.  It would probably put me back two to three weeks."

Chip Kelly was also happy to see his injured players return and believes their presence provided an emotional boost to their teammates.

"These guys care about each other," said Kelly.  "This team's really a tight team.  They don't want anybody to be injured and when anybody gets hurt, even if it's somebody on the other team, that can affect you."

Linebacker Brandon Graham has been fortunate enough to stay healthy and is enjoying a productive season. Graham was one of the players who agreed with Kelly's assessment of the emotional lift provided to the team on Tuesday.

"We definitely need them," Graham said.  "We're going to need everybody if we're going to try to make this run.  I'm definitely happy we got them on the field and now we've got to get them playing with us."

Offensive Lineman Evan Mathis will return to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis.  He won't be able to play until week ten at the earliest.

Check Out These Sports Stories:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.