PHILADELPHIA – Thanks to the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles have certainty about at least one of their injured players.

While there is confusion about most of his injured teammates, left guard Evan Mathis is slated to return when the Eagles host the Carolina Panthers in a Monday night game Nov. 10. That's the first game Mathis can play under the NFL's injured reserve rules. Those rules also allowed him to return to the practice field Wednesday for the first time, which Mathis did.

"It's a very good feeling to get out there and try to do all the things I hadn't done in so long, and for them to go so well," Mathis said after the indoor practice. "I went out there with the attitude that I was not going to hesitate. I was not going to be gunshy. Even warmups, full speed, I started testing it. The hitting comes after that. Everything was awesome."

Mathis sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the season opener against Jacksonville. He said that if there were a playoff game this Sunday, he could play. But that would be pushing his sprained left knee. This way, he gets two weeks to practice before the rules allow him to step into a game.

"If I was not on this designation and there was a very important game, I would push it and do it," Mathis said. "It pretty much lines up with the IR designation. I've gone into this with the mindset that it's the best option for the injury that I had, because if I wasn't on that, I would probably be trying to rush back and put myself and my team at risk."

That uncertainty surrounds the other Eagles who are returning from injuries. Center Jason Kelce has worked out the last two days, but appears unlikely to return this week. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks has also practiced more than in previous weeks, but was unavailable in the locker room. His status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

Those players have been on the 53-man roster and inactive for games. Mathis holds the lone spot on the IR/designated to return list. Mathis wore a brace on his left knee and was optimistic about the prospect of playing with it.

"It didn't affect me at all," Mathis said. "I thought it might. My range of motion is normal in the brace. It's very, very light. I was worried that it might slip down or come undone, but it was there the whole practice. It was a full practice, so it was the best opportunity for me to test it. It feels great."