Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson has had to deal with a lot of injuries this season to wide receivers, but the team has a plan in place if they suffer more injuries on Sunday.
“I look at it as nine bodies, with tight ends, runners and receivers, so we have everything covered that way,” Pederson told reporters Friday, via team transcript. “We have a plan to the plan to the plan to the plan if we lose a guy during the course of the game. It's where we are right now as a team, as an offense.”
In the Eagles last game against the New York Giants, the team lost Alshon Jeffery for the season, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was knocked out of the game. That left the Eagles with Greg Ward as the only healthy receiver so it was Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert who had to move out wide to play wide receiver.
Pederson said the team has worked on the next man up approach this week and he knows that the younger guys are going to have to step up for the rest of the season.
“Obviously injuries are a part of the game,” Pederson said. “You never know when or how injuries are going to affect, one, your team and/or a position group. That's why it goes back to, for us as coaches, it's why you have to coach everybody. You never know when a guy might miss the season or just a few games, and you have to get the next guy ready to play.
“In our case [with our top three receivers of Jackson, Jeffery and Agholor injured] you sit back and go, well, not going to make any excuses for it, but gosh, only if, only if.”
Even with all the injuries, the good news for the Eagles is that if they win out they will still make the playoffs where anything can happen. Just a few years ago they won the Super Bowl led by backup quarterback Nick Foles.
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