Eagles inactives: Lane Johnson out against Bills

Eagles inactives: Lane Johnson out against Bills originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bills with a groin injury.

Johnson, 33, woke up with soreness on Sunday morning and needed treatment and also had an MRI this morning. He was officially downgraded to questionable hours before kickoff and has been ruled out.

Johnson was on the field to test out that groin in front of trainers and staffers but was unable to go. But the fact that Johnson was able to test out the groin after the MRI seems to suggest the injury isn’t overly serious. We’ll find out this week if Johnson is able to return to practice as the Eagles prepare for an even more important game against the 49ers.

Without Johnson, the Eagles will to turn to backup Jack Driscoll, who struggled in Johnson’s place in the loss against the Jets earlier this season. Since the start of the 2016 season, the Eagles are 10-22 without Johnson in the lineup.

Here’s the Eagles’ list of inactives against the Bills:

RT Lane Johnson (groin)
TE Dallas Goedert (forearm)
DT Milton Williams (concussion)
TE Grant Calcaterra (ankle)
QB Tanner McKee
CB Josiah Scott
RB Rashaad Penny

After missing the last five games on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury, wide receiver Quez Watkins is set to make his return against the Bills on Sunday.

Watkins is officially active for this game after being added back to the 53-man roster on Saturday. He’s one of six receivers active for this game along with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Olamide Zaccheaus, Julio Jones and Britain Covey.

Williams was playing exceptionally well against the Chiefs on Monday night before suffering his concussion. With the short week, he simply didn’t have enough time to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol and the Eagles will miss him in this game.

Without Williams, the Eagles have their seventh-round pick Ojomo active for this game. The rookie from Texas has been active for just two games all season and has played just nine snaps on defense.

Goedert will miss his second straight game after fracturing his forearm against the Cowboys in the game before the bye week. There’s a reason the Eagles haven’t put him on IR. They are hoping he’ll be back within four games, which means a possible return next week against the 49ers or the following week when the Eagles travel to face the Cowboys in North Texas.

Both linebacker Ben VanSumeren and tight end Noah Togiai are active for this game after getting elevated from the practice squad on Saturday. This is VanSumeren’s third and final elevation, while this is the first for Togiai this season.