Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson react to his teams play again the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of play at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 4, 2016. File photo by John Sommers II/UPI |
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PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount has rushed for just 17 yards on nine preseason carries. There have been reports that he is not a lock to make the Eagles' roster. Asked about that Tuesday, head coach Doug Pederson quickly doused that flame.
"The guy is a beast of a runner. I don't know what else to tell you. We're not game-planning these games. We're just trying to execute our plays. As coaches, we might be doing our players an injustice by putting them in bad situations. I'm just going to be honest with you. I'm excited that he's here, and he's going to be a big part of our offense."
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Pederson said he "hasn't decided" yet how long his starters will play in Thursday night's third preseason game against Miami.
"We got a lot of good work in the last couple of days (in joint practices with the Dolphins)," he said. "I want to see where they're at health-wise. Typically, in this game, (we play them) the first half and a little bit into the third (quarter). But I haven't made that decision yet. I'm going to wait and see how the guys are after these couple of days."
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Cornerback Patrick Robinson has been taking most of his reps inside at nickel since the Eagles acquired Ronald Darby in a trade with Buffalo. Darby and Jalen Mills will be the Eagles' season-opening starting corners. If Robinson can't convince defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz that he can play inside, he could get released. "It's been a smooth transition," Robinson said. "Things happen a little faster in there, so your eyes have to be right. But so far, it's been a huge transition."
Notes: Quarterback Nick Foles didn't practice Tuesday. He already missed two weeks of practice with a sore elbow, but returned last week. Head coach Doug Pederson said he was "just giving him another rest. Nothing serious, nothing major." ... Linebacker Jordan Hicks won't play Thursday night and probably won't practice again until the week before the season opener against Washington. He suffered a quad injury on Monday in joint practices with Miami. ... Defensive end Brandon Graham will miss Thursday's game against Miami with a triceps injury he suffered Monday in joint workouts with the Dolphins. ... Running back Darren Sproles, who hasn't played in the first two preseason games, won't play Thursday either. Sproles is healthy and hasn't missed a single practice. The Eagles just don't want to risk getting the 34 year old injured. Sproles played just 18 snaps in the preseason last year. ... Cornerback Patrick Robinson, who has been taking snaps in the slot for the last week-and-a-half, will play inside Thursday against Miami.
