Malik Jackson Set For Surgery, Done for Year

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson is likely done for the season with a Lisfranc injury suffered in Sunday's season opener against the Redskins.

The NFL Network first reported details of the injury Tuesday and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz confirmed that the Eagles will be without the lengthy Jackson for the foreseeable future.

"Malik's an important part of what we do, and we'll certainly miss him," Schwartz conceded. "... We've got plenty of guys that can step up and play, and that's nothing new in the NFL."

Jackson, 29, is expected to have surgery next week. The veteran signed a three-year, $30 million contract as a free agent this off-season after three years in Jacksonville and was injured late in the game against the Redskins.

"Just a little injury. Football," the veteran said while wearing a walking boot after the game. "We’ll see what the doctors say.”

In Jackson's absence, Tim Jernigan is expected to step up and once again start next to Fletcher Cox. That duo was dominant early in the 2017 season until injuries took ahold of Jernigan. The 2018 campaign was essentially lost for Jernigan after herniated disc surgery and he is now healthy again which bodes well.

The Eagles also have Hassan Ridgeway at defensive tackle and Bruce Hector could be elevated from the practice squad while both Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry have the versatility to kick inside if needed at times.

The Eagles were also working out defensive linemen at the Novacare Complex on Tuesday.

A unique, lengthy defensive tackle, Jackson's ability to rush inside next to Cox or kick out to left end while allowing Graham to rush inside will be hard to duplicate for Schwartz moving forward. Jackson played 34 of the team's 67 defensive snaps before going down against Washington (51 percent).

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