Philadelphia Eagles Face Player Shortages for NFC Matchup Against Rams

The Philadelphia Eagles won’t have a full squad for their important NFC game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. They will be missing six players for Week 4, as these athletes did not participate in Friday’s practice.

DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Hollywood Brown, Fred Johnson, Zach Baun, and Marcus Epps have all been ruled out due to injuries. Smith has a hamstring issue and will miss his first game since the 2024 season. Although he was on last week’s injury report with the same problem, Smith still managed to catch six of eight targets for 65 yards in the Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears. With A.J. Brown no longer with the team, Smith has been a key part of Philadelphia’s passing offense. He currently leads the Eagles with 19 receptions and 235 receiving yards.

Goedert, who is third in receiving yards with 81, is the only Eagles player to have more than one touchdown catch this season. He missed last Monday’s game after exiting a Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans due to a knee injury.

Brown, hoping to increase his role, will not play either. Despite two handoffs in Week 2, he has yet to make a catch for the team. The Eagles might see a busy day from Dontayvion Wicks and could benefit from a strong performance by Malaki Lemon. The rookie has started his NFL career with 33 yards over three games.

Defensively, the Eagles face challenges as Baun and Epps will be absent. Baun, having earned consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, has recorded 25 tackles and leads the team with three passes defended. He hasn’t practiced this week due to concussion protocol.

Epps, sidelined by a groin injury, has played in 61% of the defense’s snaps across three starts. His potential replacements as starting safety include Michael Carter II and Kenny Moore II.

In a major development on the Rams’ side, Aaron Donald will not play due to a back injury. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.