Eagles-Cowboys Week 17 injury report, with analysis

Jalen Hurts didn't practice on the first day back from Christmas, while the Cowboys shut CeeDee Lamb down for the season.

Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images

Content sponsored by

The Philadelphia Eagles listed six players (not including resting players) on their initial injury report ahead of their Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys listed 12 players on their initial injury report (again, not including resting players), but they also have a bunch of their best and most important players on injured reserve.

Here's the Eagles-Cowboys injury report, with analysis...

Player Injury Wed ThursFri Status 
QB Jalen Hurts Finger on left hand / ConcussionDNP DNP 
LB Nakobe Dean Abdomen DNP Limited   
RB Will Shipley Concussion DNP DNP   
QB Kenny Pickett Ribs Limited Full   
EDGE Bryce Huff Wrist Full Full   
WR/RS Britain Covey Neck Full Full   
WR A.J. Brown Ankle/Rest Limited   
EDGE Josh Sweat Ankle/Rest Limited   


Wednesday notes (no practice, team estimation)

• Hurts was listed as "DNP," which is unsurprising. If he's not at least a limited participant as the week progresses, that will be more alarming for his potential availability for Sunday (duh). 

Pickett also appears on the injury report with a rib injury that he appeared to suffer on a throwaway against the Commanders. Pickett did not miss any snaps as a result of that injury during the game.

• Huff could return this week from IR. He has not had a great season, but he'd be an upgrade over Charles Harris. 

Thursday notes:

• Hurts did not practice. That's a bad sign for Sunday, obviously. Pickett practiced in full, though he was wearing a chest protector.

• Brown's knee and Sweat's ankle were not noted on the injury report on Wednesday. Those are new developments.

• Dean was a limited participant after missing practice on Wednesday.

Other notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

TE Dallas Goedert (IR): Goedert has 38 catches on 46 targets for 441 yards and 2 TDs this season. He doesn't have high volume stats, but he has been an efficient receiver when the ball has come his way, averaging 9.6 yards per target. Grant Calcaterra has started in Goedert's absence, and E.J. Jenkins was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Goedert is eligible to return from IR after the Eagles' matchup with the Cowboys.

EDGE Brandon Graham (IR): Graham tore his left triceps in the Eagles' win over the Rams. Before the season, Graham said that the 2024 season, his 15th in the NFL, would be his last. He played very well, and was arguably the team's best edge defender. Graham finished with 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks, with his stats not truly showing his actual impact, as has been the case throughout his career.

EDGE Bryce Huff (IR): After signing a three-year, $51 million contract this offseason in free agency, Huff has had a disappointing first season in Philly. He has 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble through 10 games after racking up double-digit sacks in 2023 in his final season with the Jets. With Huff out, more opportunities have opened up for third-round rookie Jalyx Hunt to get on the field.

The Eagles opened Huff's 21-day practice window on December 18, and while he is not the three-down player they hoped he'd be, he can still perhaps contribute in a positive way as a situational pass rusher.

FB Ben VanSumeren (IR): VanSumeren was a core special teams player and linebacker who became a fullback for the Eagles this season, and looked pretty good in that role. He suffered a lower-body injury during practice and landed on IR.


MORENFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 17 edition



Player Injury Wed Thurs Fri Status 
WR CeeDee LambShoulderDNP 
LB Eric Kendricks Calf DNP    
WR Jalen Brooks Knee DNP    
LB Nick Vigil Foot DNP    
OG T.J. Bass Thigh DNP    
CB Kamon Hall Hamstring DNP    
WR Jalen Tolbert Finger Limited    
OT Matt Waletzko Knee Limited    
CB Jourdan Lewis Elbow Full    
DT Mazi Smith Back Full    
S Juanyeh Thomas Knee Full    
 OT Asim RichardsAnkle Full    


Wednesday notes (Like the Eagles, the Cowboys did not practice on Wednesday. This is an estimation.)

The Cowboys are banged up at wide receiver, with Lamb, Tolbert, and Brooks all appearing on the injury report. 

• Lamb has been on the injury report for weeks with his shoulder injury, but has at least been a limited participant. His shoulder was clearly bothering him in the Cowboys' Sunday night win over the Buccaneers Week 16. With the Cowboys eliminated from playoff contention, it will be interesting to see if they shut him down. 

Thursday notes:

• Boom, called this one on Wednesday:

We'll update with the rest of the Cowboys' Thursday injury report when it is made available.

Other notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

QB Dak Prescott (IR): In the Cowboys' loss to the Falcons Week 9, Prescott injured his hamstring while throwing. His season is over.

Prescott signed the richest contract in NFL history just before the start of the 2024 season. He missed the Cowboys' matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles Week 10, with Cooper Rush filling in. Rush was 13 for 23 for an almost impossibly low 45 yards in a blowout defeat. He was eventually replaced by Trey Lance, who went 4 of 6 for 21 yards, 0 TDs, and one INT.

The Cowboys weren't a very good football team in eight games with Prescott, as they started 3-5. They are a worse team without him, though Rush is 4-3 this season with 11 TDs vs. 3 INTs.

Excluding meaningless final regular season games in which either team rested starters, Prescott has a 7-3 lifetime record against the Eagles. The Eagles now have a 3-1 record against the Cowboys during the Prescott era when Prescott has missed the game due to injury: 

• Week 8, 2020: The Eagles beat Ben DiNucci in Philly.
• Week 16, 2020: The Eagles lost to Andy Dalton in Dallas.
• Week 6, 2022: The Eagles beat Cooper Rush in Philly.
• Week 10, 2024: The Eagles beat Rush in Dallas.

The Eagles will get another crack at Rush Week 17.

CB Trevon Diggs (IR): Diggs needs bone graft surgery on his left knee. His season is over, and he likely won't be ready for the start of the 2025 season. 

Diggs has five career INTs in five NFL seasons against the Eagles.

RG Zack Martin (IR): Martin has been the Cowboys' starting RG since they selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He has nine Pro Bowls under his belt as well as nine All-Pro nods (7 first-team, 2 second-team), though he was not the same player in 2024 while battling an assortment of injuries. Martin has been replaced in the lineup by 2022 UDFA Brock Hoffman. 

DE DeMarcus Lawrence (IR): The Cowboys placed Lawrence on IR with a Lisfranc injury on Oct. 1. At the time, his injury was projected to keep him out 4-8 weeks. The Cowboys are reportedly shutting Lawrence down for the season.

Lawrence is something of the Cowboys' version of Brandon Graham, in that he has had a good, long career, but has lacked elite sack numbers. (I suppose one big difference is that Graham made one of the most important plays in his team's history, and Lawrence hasn't.) 

DE Sam Williams (IR): During training camp, the Cowboys lost Williams for the season with a torn ACL and a partially torn MCL in his left knee. Williams was a Cowboys second-round pick who finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022. He had 22 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries that season. In 2023, in a crowded edge rusher rotation, he had 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. In 2024, Williams was poised to take on a bigger role with the Cowboys after they lost Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in free agency to the Commanders.

LB DeMarvion Overshown (IR): Overshown missed his rookie season in 2023 with a torn ACL, but he was a breakout player in 2024, collecting 90 tackles, 5 sacks, an INT, a forced fumble, and 4 pass breakups. Overshown shredded his knee against the Bengals, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL. His 2024 season is over, and his 2025 season is also in doubt.

CB Caelen Carson (IR): Carson is a rookie who has had to start five games this season as a result of a bunch of Cowboys injuries at CB. 27 tackles, 4 PBUs, no INTs or FFs.

S Marquese Bell (IR): S/LB hybrid. South Jersey kid who broke Dallas Goedert's arm last season.

OL Asim Richards (IR): Backup OL, started against the Eagles Week 10.


MORE: Eagles Week 17 power ranking roundup


Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice

Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports

Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader