Eagles-Bills Week 12 injury report, with analysis

Buffalo’s secondary is banged up as Sunday’s game in Philadelphia approaches.

The Philadelphia Eagles have some new names on their injury report, but no big surprises. Their Week 12 opponent, the Buffalo Bills,

have major injury concerns at cornerback. Here’s the Eagles-Bills injury report, with analysis.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Status
TE Dallas Goedert	Forearm	DNP
DT Milton Williams	Concussion	DNP
S Justin Evans	Knee	DNP
TE Grant Calcaterra	Ankle	DNP
DE Derek Barnett	Personal	DNP
WR A.J. Brown	Thigh	Limited
RB D’Andre Swift	Ankle	Limited
WR Julio Jones	Knee	Limited
WR Quez Watkins	Hamstring	Limited

Wednesday notes:

• Goedert is third on the team in receiving, behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. In nine games, he has 38 catches for 410 yards and

2 TDs. His season began slowly, as he had just 13 catches for 88 yards and no TDs in the Eagles’ first four games. However, over his

last five games, his production picked up, as he had 25 catches for 322 yards and 2 TDs. With Goedert out likely for a while, the Eagles’

starting tight end is Jack Stoll, a good blocker, but a near nonfactor in the passing game. The Eagles also have Grant Calcaterra and

Albert Okwuegbunam, who are better receivers than they are blockers, but again, do not have Goedert’s ability on any level.

• Williams had a good game against the Chiefs on Wednesday night (5 tackles in just 28 snaps), but he suffered a head injury and is in

the concussion protocol. A return on a short week is perhaps unrealistic.

• Brown and Swift are the most notable names among the limited practice participants. It’ll be worth monitoring their statuses as the

week progresses.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• LB Nakobe Dean: Entering the 2023 season, Dean was the clear No. 1 linebacker on the roster, as the team was counting on him to

take on a much bigger role than what he had as a rookie in 2022. That has not gone to plan, as he landed on injured reserve after

suffering a foot injury Week 1 against the Patriots. He returned Week 6 and played in four games before again suffering a foot injury

that landed him on injured reserve for a second time this season. When he has played, Dean has been fine as a run defender and as a

tackler (PFF has him down for 0 missed tackles), but he has struggled in coverage. PFF has him down for 13 completions on 14 targets for 120 yards.

Zach Cunningham has been the Eagles’ best linebacker so far this season, as he has been a physical presence in the middle of the

defense. Nicholas Morrow has also had his moments, notably in the Eagles’ overtime win against the Commanders, when he had three sacks.

• CB Avonte Maddox: Maddox had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. His season is likely over. The oft-injured Maddox

missed games at three different junctures during the season in 2022, and was only able to play in two games in 2023. He also missed

three games in 2018, four games in 2019, and six games in 2020. He is one of the best slot corners in the NFL when healthy, but it

seems there will always be durability concerns. Slot corner is a position where the Eagles had already lost depth, as backup Zech

McPhearson tore his Achilles during the Eagles’ preseason game against the Browns. The Eagles have had a different plan in the slot

pretty much every week since Maddox went down.

• S Justin Evans: Evans was the Eagles’ choice to start opposite Reed Blankenship, as he beat out Terrell Edmunds and Sydney

Brown during training camp for that opportunity. He started four games for the Eagles earlier this season, and when healthy, has been

competent. However, he has a long history of injuries, missing 43 games from 2017-2022 (not including the 2021 season, when he was

not on an NFL roster), and he lost his starting job when the Eagles traded for Kevin Byard. The Eagles opened Evans’ 21-day practice

window last week.

• WR Quez Watkins: Watkins has battled hamstring injuries this season, and only has 4 catches for 21 yards in 3 games played. The Eagles opened Watkins’ 21-day practice window on Wednesday.

 

Player	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Status
CB Taron Johnson	Concussion	DNP
CB Dane Jackson	Concussion	DNP
S Taylor Rapp	Neck	DNP
S Micah Hyde	Neck	Limited
CB Cam Lewis	Shoulder	Limited
QB Josh Allen	Right shoulder	Full
WR Trent Sherfield	Ankle	Full
LB Dorian Williams	Knee	Full

Wednesday notes:

• As you can see, the Bills’ injury report is littered with defensive backs. CB1 Tre’Davious White on IR with an Achilles tear, as is 2022

first-round corner Kaiir Elam. We got into much more detail on the Bills’ secondary woes in our five matchups to watch.