Early Signs are Positive on Peters
PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Lost in the glow of the Eagles' best performance of the season in North Jersey on Thursday night was the potential loss of left tackle Jason Peters.
Peters suffered a torn biceps during the third quarter of a 34-13 win over the hapless Giants, a potentially season-ending injury depending on the type of tear.
Add in the fact that the likely future Hall-of-Famer is coming off an ACL tear last season, has struggled to stay on the field early in this campaign with a quad problem and some even speculated this could be the end of the line for Peters, who was replaced in the lineup by Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Usually, a proximal biceps tendon tear near the shoulder will allow someone to play while a distal biceps tendon tear near the elbow requires surgery and a long time on the shelf.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson didn't get into specifics on Peters' injury at his Monday afternoon press conference but did call the early indications "positive" on Peters, indicated a proximal tear.
Either way, there is a potential Peters could be given at least some extra time to heal up what is a banged-up, aging body, even more than the extra time afforded from playing on a Thursday.
"Those are all things we'll consider. We've got time," Pederson said. "We've got 10 days before we play again, and we'll see where all our guys are, all these injury guys are in a week or so. But right now, we're not going to make any of those determinations after this one game. I want to get through the weekend, get to next week, and see where everybody is at coming up.
"But definitely, yeah, we'll have those conversations."
The Eagles host Carolina in Week 7 before hopping the pond to take on Jacksonville in London. After that is the bye and fighting through the next two games with Vaitai would give Peters significant time before the stretch run.
Nickel cornerback Sidney Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter against the Giants, was labeled as "week-to-week" by Pederson, a clear indication that the talented second-year player will miss at least some time.
After Jones' injury, starting free safety Avonte Maddox bounced down to the slot in the nickel with Rasul Douglas, typically a CB, getting his first reps at safety.
-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen