Window Open For Dean

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles on Wednesday returned to the practice field in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s home matchup with the Denver Broncos. The session also saw the return, at least in some capacity, of several Eagles who have battled injuries of late.

For the media attended portion of practice, right tackle Lane Johnson (shoulder), right guard Tyler Steen (unspecified), defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulder) and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (groin) were present and taking part in team stretches. I didn’t see tight end Dallas Goedert at the start of the session. The first official injury report of the week comes out later today.

Rookie offensive tackles Myles Hinton (Reserve/Designated to Return) and Cameron Williams (Reserve/Injured), were running sprints on a neighboring field.

Practice window opened

The Eagles on Wednesday opened the 21-day practice window for LB Nakobe Dean, who sustained an injury to his patellar tendon Jan. 13 in the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers and was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform/PUP list at the start of training camp. The team now has 21 days to either active Dean or shut him down for the remainder of the season.

The return timetable is always unclear, as players typically require a ramp-up period to round into football shape. In theory, though, Dean could return as early as Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Wednesday and Thursday practices will provide further clarity.

The conundrum – if you want to call it that – upon Dean’s return is that the Eagles have a surplus of linebackers, headed by starters Zack Baun and rookie Jihaad Campbell. Baun is the signal caller and arguably the centerpiece of Vic Fangio’s defense and Campbell has played well and continues to exhibit tangible signs of growth weekly. Fangio doesn’t typically implement a rotation at the linebacker position, but perhaps an exception can be made for Dean in a situational role, where his run support and blitzing ability could be exploited. Time will tell.

It’s worth noting that, at the moment, the Eagles have an open spot on the 53-man roster after placing veteran OLB Ogbo Okoronkwo (triceps) on injured reserve.

Injury update

According to agent Brett Tressler via X/Twitter, the injury that placed his client, LS Charley Hughlett, on injured reserve was a core injury. He added that Hughlett had successful surgery and will be back playing “in a couple of months.”

Replacing Hughlett at long-snapper on the 53-man roster is Cal Adomitis. Adomitis, 27, signed as a rookie free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022, where he went on to appear in 49 games over three seasons. He was waived in August during roster cutdowns.

In 2021, while at Pittsburgh, Adomitis won the Patrick Mannelly Award, awarded to the nation’s best long snapper. He also grew his hair out and then cut it for “Locks of Love,” a non-profit dedicated to helping children that suffer from medical hair loss.

Adomitis has been issued No. 57

Recognition for Eagles’ CB1

The NFL on Wednesday afternoon revealed its Week 4 Player of the Week awards for both conferences and, for the second consecutive week, an Eagles player is represented. This week, it was second-year CB Quinyon Mitchell who earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in Tampa.

For perspective, Mitchell, targeted nine times, allowed just two receptions for six yards in the Eagles’ 31-25 win, adding a career-high five passes defended to his standout outing.

“I thought he played very well the other day,” Fangio said Tuesday. “I told him I think it was his best game since he’s been here. He played well.”

APR returns: Light on edge rushers with Nolan Smith and Okoronkwo on injured reserve, the Eagles brought back rookie Antwuan Powell-Ryland to the practice squad. The team drafted Powell-Ryland, 23, in the sixth-round back in April. Powell-Ryland will wear No. 93. In a corresponding move, LB Lance Dixon was released from the practice squad.

For those keeping score, the edge rushers on the Eagles’ 53-man roster have dwindled down to Jalyx Hunt, Za’Darius Smith, Josh Uche, Patrick Johnson and Azeez Ojulari. Due to the numbers shortage, there’s a good chance Ojulari, inactive for the first four games, dresses Sunday against the Broncos.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com