The Eagles are off from practice today, but something perhaps more important in a big picture sense will take place off the field: The MRI that rookie cornerback JaCorey Shepherd will undergo. Here is Tucker Bagley of Birds 24/7 describing how the injury occurred, followed by some video:
The Eagles depth at corner may be a little thinner today after JaCorey Shepherd was carted off the field with what seemed to be an injury to his right leg.
Shepherd collided with Darren Sproles on the far sideline after the running back made a catch and turned up field. He stayed down after the play and was attended to by the Eagles training staff before he was able to stand up and gingerly walk to a nearby cart that took him back to the training room.
Our football writer described Shepherd as “the leader in the clubhouse to land Brandon Boykin's slot corner job,” so a season-ending injury would be a pretty big blow. If the Eagles are required to call upon the next man up, 2014 fourth-round pick Jaylen Watkins seems to be that guy. Here is CSN Philly’s Andrew Kulp on Watkins’ training camp:
Watkins appears to be progressing nicely this camp. The 2014 fourth-round pick had an interesting duel with first-round rookie Nelson Agholor in 1-on-1s Sunday. On one rep, Agholor employed what it appeared to be a killer double move, but Watkins didn't bite at all and wound up breaking up the pass attempt downfield. However, Agholor would get the better of him eventually in the same period, hauling in a perfectly thrown deep ball over Watkins for a touchdown. If Shepherd is out for any significant period of time, Watkins may become the new favorite after appearing in just one game on defense for the Eagles last season, which means his every move could be under intense scrutiny going forward.
We still don’t know the severity of Shepherd’s injury, but the Eagles’ depth is going to be put to the test after Chip Kelly’s offseason moves nonetheless.
Sunday recap
1. Jimmy’s practice notes: Josh Huff and Byron Maxwell impress, Shepherd goes down with a leg injury, and Greg Hardy’s Match.com profile finally gets unearthed.
2. Video of the Cowboys banner: From Mullin: “The timing of the flyover was particularly poor, as it was during the playing of the national anthem -- on Military Appreciation Day, no less.” America’s Team no longer, as the Dallas Cowboys and their fans hate our country. You heard it here first, folks!
3. Under the radar: Chip Kelly says to keep an eye on undrafted free agent offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche out of Miami (FL), so you should probably do that.
What they’re saying
Eagles fans NOT responsible for hiring the banner pilot who crashed, per report: Brandon Lee Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation
Kind of a weird story, because for a decent portion of the day it was believed that a pilot flying a banner paid for by Eagles fans that said “We got DeMarco” (funny idea) over Cowboys training camp crashed and was unfortunately killed. As it turns out, it was another pilot leaving from the same airport. The pilot who was supposed to fly the Eagles banner wasn’t able to take off because the airport closed. Still, this is a very sad situation.
JaCorey Shepherd injury proving Cary Williams' point?: David Murphy, Philadelphia Daily News
Cary Williams had a lot of things to say during his time in Philly, and one of them was that Chip Kelly’s practices are too demanding. Murphy wonders if fatigue had anything to do with Shepherd’s injury:
The remarks by Williams - now with the Seahawks - are relevant to the discussion in several regards. First, there is his implication that Kelly's practice methods might reach a point of counterproductivity with regard to the physical fitness they are supposed to create. There is a fine line between conditioning and overtraining, and there isn't a computer program or urine sample in the world that can allow a coach to feel a player's muscles, joints and psyche the way the player himself feels them. A fatigued athlete is an athlete who is more susceptible to injury, even if the fatigue is more mental than physical. Ask anybody who plays pickup basketball: You always get hurt in that sloppy final game.
I stopped watching “True Detective,” so I don’t have the faintest idea what this means. Slow news day, though. It’s good to see Simmons making Andy Reid clock management jokes again.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann