Mailata Out Vs. Cowboys

(ITB photo: A knee sprain could sideline Jordan Mailata vs. the Cowboys)

Another injury in the trenches for the Eagles threatens their enormous Monday showdown against the rival Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Left tackle Jordan Mailata was absent from Thursday’s practice at the NovaCare for what the team described as a knee sprain that the fourth-year pro sustained at the end of Wednesday’s practice.

Per a team spokesperson, Mailata had his knee rolled on toward the end of practice Wednesday but played through the pain and then had the knee checked out by the medical staff after practice. As of start of practice Thursday afternoon, the team said, Mailata knee was still being evaluated and the severity of the sprain was undisclosed, along with the left tackle’s status for the team’s Monday Night Football clash against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Adam Caplan of Inside The Birds reported that Mailata’s sprain is to the medial collateral ligament (MCL).

It’s an MCL from what we’ve heard, but no indication of degree.
Andre Dillard next up if he can’t play Monday night at #Cowboys. https://t.co/YxKKPQoaVe

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) September 24, 2021

[UPDATED]: Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Friday ruled out Mailata for Monday night’s game.

The Eagles are already playing their first game this season without Pro Bowl defensive end Brandon Graham, who ruptured his Achilles tendon against the 49ers on Sunday and is out for the rest of the season, and of Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks, who suffered a pec strain against the Niners that’s expected to keep him out several weeks.

Without Mailata, the team will start Andre Dillard, a 2019 first-round pick who hasn’t yet played to first-round level, missed all of 2020 with a torn biceps, and suffered some injuries in training camp that kept him sidelined during a time when he competing to usurp Mailata as the starter. Since then, the Eagles have signed Mailata to a long-term extension that secured his status as the team’s top left tackle and Dillard has been cross-training at left and right tackle while working with the backups.

The Cowboys on Wednesday activated defensive end Randy Gregory, who has been sidelined since the start of the season from the Reserve/Covid-19 list, and last week moved first-round pick Micah Parsons into a pass-rushing role to compensate for the loss of Pro Bowl defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who’s out indefinitely with a fractured foot. Parsons logged several pressures and a sack of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the 20-17 Dallas win.

The status of other Eagles veterans are also in question, as tight end Zach Ertz (Reserve/Covid-19) remained out of practice for a second day. Safety Rodney McLeod, who didn’t play in either of the first two games, is awaiting medical clearance to play in a regular-season game. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox sat out of practice for a second straight day due to an illness.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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