Logan Ruled Out vs. Cowboys

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - As expected, Bennie Logan will miss his second straight game with a strained groin when the Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

The veteran nose tackle was officially ruled out by coach Doug Pederson on Friday and his absence figures to be a bigger issue this time around against the Cowboys’ top-ranked ground game.

"It's huge,” Pederson admitted when talking about Logan’s absence. “It's big, any time you lose a great player like Bennie for a couple of weeks, but I've always had the next man up mentality and that's where we're at.”

The next man up is Beau Allen, who played well against Minnesota last week but the Vikings typically struggle to run the football while Dallas’ whole identity is based upon its ability to run the football with star rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott toting it behind perhaps the best offensive line in the NFL.

"Beau played good (against the Vikings)," the coach said. "He's a guy that gives you great effort every time he's in there. ...Beau is consistent, he's solid, and we're fortunate to have him as one of our tackles."

Also chipping in behind Fletcher Cox and Allen at defensive tackle will be undrafted rookie Destiny Vaeao and the recently returned Taylor Hart, although Hart is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in practice on Thursday.

“He's been playing -- or he's been on a roster (the 49ers) and practicing and all that,” Pederson said of Hart. “So it's just a matter of just getting familiar again with the terminology. But he will be able to give us some good work.”

Elliott currently leads the NFL with 703 rushing yards and the Cowboys as a whole are tops in the league with 161.2 rushing yards per game.

“I just think (it’s) his explosiveness,” Pederson answered when asked about Elliott’s success. “You put the tape on and it seems like every run was an explosive run. The thing is, too, once you meet the kid, and we had him here this spring, he’s a sharp kid. He understands -- He's a runner; he is a true running back. He can catch the ball. He can obviously run the ball, and he’s a dynamic difference maker is what we saw in the spring.”

Elsewhere on the injury front, the Eagles also ruled out special-teams contributor Kamu Grugier-Hill for the Cowboys game with a strained hamstring, and Pederson confirmed that cornerback Ron Brooks underwent surgery for his torn quadriceps tendon

“Dr. Pete DeLuca, (Eagles head) team physician, did the surgery,” Pederson said. “I spoke to Ron this morning and he's in great spirits and doing well.”

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