Eagles Get Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith Back Just in Time to Face a Battered Bears Squad
Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith are cleared for Monday Night Football, while the Eagles rule out Dallas Goedert and prepare to face a Bears team down to its backup quarterbacks.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 2 min read
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The Philadelphia Eagles are getting their two biggest offensive weapons back just in time to face a Chicago Bears team that might be starting a quarterback who belongs in a museum.
Running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith have officially been cleared for Monday Night Football. Barkley shook off a cervical neck stinger, and Smith is past a hamstring issue, leaving both stars completely off the final injury report.
"Mike Garafolo reported that Barkley and Smith have no injury status and are good to go for Monday."
Barkley getting a stinger on the very first play of Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans and still finishing the game is the exact kind of sicko behavior you want from a premium running back. He already has 92 yards on 19 carries this year, which is a casual 4.8 yards a pop. Meanwhile, Smith is sitting on 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, proving that hamstrings are just a suggestion if you run fast enough.
It is not all sunshine in Philadelphia, though. Tight end Dallas Goedert is officially out with a knee injury, alongside receiver Hollywood Brown and tackle Fred Johnson. To fill the void, the Eagles are dusting off Zach Ertz from the practice squad. Ertz has not played a snap of real football in nearly ten months, meaning he is basically stepping out of a time machine directly onto a prime-time broadcast.
On the defensive side, linebacker Jonathan Greenard is officially questionable with a pectoral injury after missing the first two weeks. If he plays, he gets to feast on a Chicago offense that is currently holding open auditions for the quarterback spot.
With Caleb Williams already ruled out for the Bears due to a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent questionable in concussion protocol, Chicago might actually trot out Case Keenum. For anyone looking at the Monday night betting lines, the math here is pretty simple. Philadelphia is loading up its premium playmakers while Chicago is digging through the couch cushions for a healthy arm.
We will see if Barkley and Smith are on any sort of snap count, but having them on the field completely changes the trajectory of this game. If Philadelphia cannot put up points against this battered Bears squad on national television, we are going to need a much longer conversation on Tuesday morning.
Key stats
Saquon Barkley has 92 rushing yards on 19 carries (4.8 YPC) in 2026.
DeVonta Smith has 13 receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown this season.
Zach Ertz has not played a snap of football in nine and a half months.
What's next
The Eagles will look to capitalize on their returning stars against a depleted Bears roster on Monday Night Football, with Jonathan Greenard's final status still pending.

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