PHILADELPHIA – No news is seldom good news when it comes to injuries. Based on that truism, it seems more likely that Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks will miss a fifth game Sunday because of a calf injury sustained late in the game at Indianapolis.
Kendricks was listed as limited in practice Thursday, the last full session of the week. His participation was listed the same as that of center Jason Kelce and guard Evan Mathis, who are not expected to play this week, and running back Darren Sproles, whose status is similarly unclear.
The Eagles will have a lighter walk-through practice Friday, but the real preparation for Sunday’s opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, is done. Kendricks was in the trainers’ room after practice. He was not in the locker room all week when it was open to media.
“Mychal’s been running around,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said before Thursday’s practice. “I’ve been watching him get acclimated back into drills, and the team settings and how does he fit in. We’ve still got three training sessions to figure out how much he can contribute – or can he contribute?”
If Kendricks is unavailable, Emmanuel Acho and Casey Matthews would again platoon at his inside linebacker spot. Veteran DeMeco Ryans, who injured his groin during the Eagles’ game against St. Louis three weeks ago but played the next week against the Giants, will start at the other inside spot.
Meanwhile, first-round draft pick Marcus Smith will play some inside linebacker in nickel defensive packages.
Expectations were high for Kendricks this season. He improved during the course of the 2013 season, his first in coordinator Bill Davis’ 3-4 scheme. Kendricks recorded three of his four sacks in the final three games of the season. After a strong preseason, he appeared poised to build on his strong finish from 2013.
Earlier this week, Kendricks wrote a blog post on his website saying he planned to practice this week. He was vague on whether he expected to play.
“It's a day-to-day thing,” Davis said Wednesday. “We're slowly leaking him back in there to see what he can do. These athletes know their bodies better than anything. Do all you can without going backwards with the injury. … So we're excited about the opportunity that we might get him back.”
They might or might not. Based on the available signs, the best guess is it might take another week.