The Philadelphia Eagles squeaked out a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, but not without suffering potential losses to two key defensive players. Eagles starting cornerback James Bradberry is in concussion protocol following a hit late in Sunday's game, according to Ian Rapoport.

The news comes just hours after reports surfaced that the Eagles will be without starting linebacker Nakobe Dean for multiple weeks, thinning an already skinny position. With Philly having a short week due to a Thursday night game against the Minnesota Vikings, there is little chance for Bradberry to clear protocol in time to play.

The league is taking concussions more seriously every year so they take each head injury with the highest of caution. With only three days between games, there just won't be enough time for Bradberry to get healthy.

Bradberry is often overshadowed by Darius Slay, who himself had a pick-six for the Eagles. He's one of the best cornerbacks in his own right though, as evidenced by his second-team All-Pro season in 2022. Replacing him will be a tall task, but the Eagles have several players who are candidates to fill the void.

Who will replace Bradberry?

The Eagles luckily have Darius Slay who can cover Justin Jefferson Thursday night. With Bradberry absent though, Philly will need a backup to step up in a big way against rookie wide receiver and Vikings first-round pick Jordan Addison. Addison had a fantastic debut, totaling 61 receiving yards on four catches, including a 39-yard haul for his first NFL touchdown.

The likely candidate to play in place of Bradberry is Josh Jobe. The Eagles signed Jobe as an undrafted free agent in April 2022. Jobe played his college days at Alabama and was a starter on the 2020 Crimson Tide team that won the national championship.

He played only 12 defensive snaps as a rookie last season, playing in 11 games, mostly on special teams. He's played well in practice though and if he's got anything left from his college days he could be a solid corner. Jobe led the SEC in pass deflections in 2020 with 11.

The other logical option would be rookie Kelee Ringo. The Eagles snagged Ringo with the third pick of the fourth round in this year's draft and loved what they saw from the 21-year-old during the preseason. He did not see a defensive snap in his NFL debut but appeared on special teams.

Ringo was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2022, starting for a daunting Georgia Bulldogs defense that produced so much NFL talent. The Eagles took three Georgia players alone, all of them playing defense.

Philly will probably want to keep slot corner Avonte Maddox in his usual spot, meaning an unproven corner will have to rise to the occasion and play a big game for the Eagles in primetime.