Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean Miss Practice, Because the Eagles Can't Have Nice Things

The Philadelphia Eagles dropped their Wednesday practice report, and it reads like a horror story for anyone invested in their defense. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter and cornerback Cooper DeJean both sat out, giving the entire Delaware Valley a collective spike in blood pressure.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Carter is dealing with a wrist issue while DeJean is managing a calf and abdomen situation. Missing your game-wrecking defensive tackle and a key piece of your secondary on the same day is the kind of update that makes oddsmakers quietly adjust the Sunday total.

"Cooper DeJean told reporters he’ll be good to go Sunday."

DeJean immediately went into damage control, telling reporters he will be good to go for Sunday. You have to respect the optimism of a football player diagnosing his own soft-tissue injuries. A guy could have his leg attached by a single thread of athletic tape and still tell a microphone he is feeling ready for the weekend.

The Eagles really need DeJean's medical self-assessment to be accurate. He has been a reliable force in the secondary, racking up 58 tackles and a forced fumble this season. Coming off a tight 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia cannot afford to start patching holes in the defensive backfield.

Carter’s wrist is the bigger mystery here. The defensive tackle has a frustrating history of getting banged up, missing time in the past for everything from ankle sprains to a shoulder procedure. When he is on the field, he is a nightmare for opposing guards, but keeping him out of the medical tent has been a recurring theme.

Wednesday injury reports are basically the NFL's version of a rough draft, so full-blown panic is premature. But if Carter is still standing on the sideline in sweatpants by Friday, it might be time to start worrying about how the Eagles plan to generate pressure up the middle this weekend.