Eagles Losing Wallace for ‘a While’

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The ailing Eagles receiving corps suffered another blow in Tampa on Sunday when starting outside receiver Mike Wallace went down with an ankle injury.

After being shut out while playing 66 offensive snaps in the season opener Wallace, 32, looked like he made his first catch as an Eagles in the team's second offensive series during a loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. The minimal 8-yard gain was called back, however, when Jason Peters was flagged for a penalty.

The bigger issue developed when it was obvious Wallace was staying on the turf after the tackle before being carted off. He was spotted after the game wearing a walking boot and took to Twitter for an ominous update:

The bad news was confirmed by the NFL Network early Monday morning when it was revealed that the Eagles expect to be without Wallace for “a while,” further muddying the situation at the position just as Carson Wentz appears ready to return to the lineup.

ESPN, meanwhile, described the injury as a potential season-ender.

Alshon Jeffery is still rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery and returned to practice on a limited basis last week but is still likely a few weeks away. Meanwhile, Mack Hollins is on injured reserve with a groin injury.

The Eagles top three receivers in the loss to the Buccaneers were Nelson Agholor, Kamar Aiken and Shelton Gibson.

As for potential reinforcements, the most logical route might be elevating the recently signed Braxton Miller from the practice squad but there is an intriguing option outside the organization in talented but troubled wideout Josh Gordon.

The Cleveland Browns informed the world they were divorcing themselves from Gordon, who has a long history of substance-abuse suspensions and has admitted significant addiction problems dating back to middle school. He's missed 56 games since 2014 but was once the leading receiver in the NFL and has rare talent.

The Browns are expected to trade Gordon by Monday at 4 PM for a conditional draft pick and many teams have been calling Cleveland, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson.

Because of all of Gordon's suspensions, he's still cost effective and would be under team control for two more seasons with a minimal $790,000 salary this season before hitting restricted free agency in 2019.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen