Ins and Outs

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles (3-0) took to the practice field on Wednesday afternoon, beginning a week of preparation ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0).

Some injury news: RT Lane Johnson (neck) practiced in some capacity. During the individual period, however, he was taking mental reps. CB Adoree’ Jackson (groin) also practiced in some capacity after exiting Sunday’s game with the injury. RB Will Shipley, who finished last week practicing in a limited capacity but was ultimately ruled out against the Rams, also practiced.

LB Zack Baun, who had a helmet, was sporting a hefty brace on his left leg. Fellow LB Jihaad Campbell, who had a black sleeve on his right leg, was present for the session but didn’t have a helmet.

The official injury report will be released later today.

GETTY IMAGES: Philadelphia Eagles starting EDGE Nolan Smith Jr. has been placed on injured reserve.

Roster shuffle: The Eagles announced a flurry of roster moves ahead of practice. Placed on Injured Reserve were OLB Nolan Smith, CB Jakorian Bennett and WR Darius Cooper. My understanding is that the injuries to Smith, Bennett and Cooper won’t require surgery. There’s optimism that they could all return around the bye week. Replacing the aforementioned trio on the 53-man roster are S Marcus Epps, TE Cam Latu and CB Parry Nickerson.

LB Lance Dixon, DB Eli Ricks and WR Quez Watkins were signed to the practice squad.

New uniform numbers: WR/RS Xavier Gipson, awarded via waivers earlier this week, has been issued No. 87. Ricks, who’d previously worn No. 23 during his previous stint with the Eagles, now dons No. 41. Watkins, who was among seven players who worked out for the team a couple weeks ago, wears No. 46. Dixon, who was with the Eagles in camp and had some positive moments before sustaining an injury in the preseason finale, has been issued No. 50.

‘Excited about the room’

The Houston Texans released veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday afternoon, six months after acquiring him in a trade with the Eagles in exchange for guard Kenyon Green. The March trade has proven to be a wash for both teams, with Green on and off the Eagles’ active roster and Gardner-Johnson lasting only three games in Houston.

Appearing in three games (three starts) with the Texans, Gardner-Johnson logged 202 defensive snaps, accounting for 96 percent of the total. He was credited with 15 tackles and a defended pass. Now, the playmaking center fielder eyes his next opportunity, adding to his list of stops which also includes the Saints and Lions.

A key backend piece for Vic Fangio’s defense last season, Gardner-Johnson registered 59 tackles (two for loss), 12 passes defended and six interceptions.

His release, naturally, spawned discourse surrounding a potential reunion with the Eagles for a third time. But the reality is that the Eagles prepared themselves for life without Gardner-Johnson – drafting Texas S Drew Mukuba in the second-round — and aren’t in the same spot as they were the previous two occasions. And on Wednesday, when asked if the team had any interest in a reunion, Nick Sirianni took the opportunity to positively highlight the Eagles’ youth-infused safety room, expressing confidence in the group the team currently has in place.

“I really am excited about the room we have,” he said. “I think they’ve done a really nice job to date. We got a good, young player in Andrew Mukuba who continues to get better. And I think that having Reed next to him is helping him get better. And just as how Reed got better, having Marcus Epps in the building. I’ve said that in here before about Marcus Epps. So, just really excited about that room. Sydney is doing a really good job, doing a good job on special teams and doing some work on defense as well. So, I’m really excited about that group and pleased with that group.”

‘The best chance to win’

In an effort to combat the humid conditions that often act as an equalizer whenever teams venture to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers, the Eagles have decided to leave a day earlier than originally planned ahead of Sunday afternoon’s matchup to acclimate to the weather. But it wasn’t exactly a split decision; information and planning was discussed during the offseason.

Nick Sirianni viewed the altered itinerary as a attempt to give his team the best chance as leaving Raymond James Stadium with a win.

“Everything we do is to try to give ourselves the best chance — that our process is right – to give ourselves the best chance to win,” he said. “If your process is off, then you don’t have as much of a chance. And so, that was part of the process when we studied some things in the offseason with the heat and everything like that. Get out there a day earlier to acclimate, one less day off the plane before you play a game. Those are a couple things, to name a few.”

Conversely, there’s the other school of thought conveyed by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who offered another perspective when asked about how the conditions affect his early week planning with regards to his rotations.

“Well, it is too late to do anything right now for it as far as prepping for it,” Fangio said Tuesday. “You don’t practice in heat one day and say you’re acclimated or take a pill and say you’re acclimated. The key will be, I mean, it’s a mindset, number one. Number two, we need to not let them have 8, 10, 12 play drives on us.”

Fangio, it’s worth noting, has opted to go lighter at edge rusher through the first three games, dressing only four against the Rams in Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Za’Darius Smith and Josh Uche. Patrick Johnson, a core special teamer, was down after being active the first two weeks. Fangio noted he’d once coached a season in San Francisco with only three active edge rushers all season.

And along the interior defensive line, the Eagles on Sunday dressed five defensive tackles, but rookie Ty Robinson failed to yield a snap on defensive or special teams. Perhaps Fangio implements more of a rotation this week. Perhaps something to keep an eye on.

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