Eagles Still Weighing Whether to Activate Sidney Jones

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles have until Wednesday of next week to either activate Sidney Jones and put him on the 53-man roster or move him to injured reserve to officially end what would be a redshirt rookie season after the talented cornerback ruptured his Achilles' at University of Washington's Pro Day back in March.

The benefit of activating Jones, the team's second-round pick back in April, is at least another two weeks of practice in the lead up to the divisional playoff game and potentially more has to be weighed vs. moving someone off the back end of the roster.

Jones returned to practice on Dec. 12 and the clock started ticking on the 21-day window the Eagles had to make a decision. The door is still open for Jones to make his NFL debut on Sunday against Dallas in a meaningless Week 17 game, ironically one year to the day Jones last played in a live atmosphere, the Peach Bowl when Washington took on Alabama.

“That’s one of the spots we’ll have to take a look at this week see where he’s at physically,” Pederson said. “He’s healthy and all that, but listen, he hasn’t taken a hit in a long time. I want to see where he’s at the end of the week.”

Even if Jones doesn't play against the Cowboys, however, there remains a chance he's activated next week to keep him practicing as long as Philadelphia remains alive in the playoffs.

"We've just got to evaluate everything and make sure we're doing the best for the team and for going into the postseason," Pederson said. "It's tough at this time of year."

FRIDAY NOVACARE NOTES:

-The Eagles shifted practice from the NovaCare Complex to Lincoln Financial Field for a number of reasons, most notably that the Linc's playing surface is heated while at least some of the fields at the practice complex were partially frozen due to the extreme cold in the Philadelphia area. The weather forecast for Sunday is for bitter cold again with a high of just 22 degrees.

-Pederson said his plan was to play the starters against the Cowboys with the exception of defensive end Brandon Graham, who is dealing with an ankle injury suffered against the Raiders on Christmas night. That doesn't mean the starters will be playing the entire game, however, and you can expect to see backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld at some point.

"I'm not using the term preseason with our guys. It's still a regular-season football game, Dallas Cowboys. But I've got to be smart with it, obviously," Pederson said. "I'm not putting anybody on a pitch count or a number of plays. I just want to see execution by our guys going into the postseason."

-Left guard Stefen Wisniewski has missed the past two games with an ankle injury and he will likely play.

"Wiz needs to play," Pederson said. "It's important that he gets back into the flow of the game."

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