Eagles injury report: Nolan Smith misses 5th straight practice
Eagles injury report: Nolan Smith misses 5th straight practice originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eagles rookie Nolan Smith missed his fifth straight practice on Monday with a shoulder injury.
The rookie first-round pick out of Georgia said on the night of Aug. 17 that he was removed from the Eagles’ second preseason game against the Browns for precautionary reasons. Smith has now missed five practices and the preseason finale.
“I’m feeling good,” Smith said after the Browns game. “I know everybody worrying about my shoulder injury. They just took me out for precaution reasons.”
When Smith left the Browns game, he was listed as questionable but did not return. Smith said he went to the sideline and trainers rubbed his shoulder with Icy Hot. He described the injury as more of a “stinger” and said he didn’t feel pain, claiming he could have returned.
Smith, 22, did say the shoulder injury was related to his November surgery to repair his pectoral muscle.
“You could say it’s scar tissue, something simple like (that),” Smith said. “I don’t really want to get too deep into it. But it’s my baby and I take care of it every day. Sometimes she works and sometimes she don’t.”
Smith, the No. 30 pick in the draft, was a spectator again at practice on Monday. He stood behind individual drills and mimicked the movements, getting in mental reps. The Eagles’ regular season opener is less than two weeks away; Sept. 10 in New England.
Before his injury, Smith was flashing his talent. He showed plenty of promising signs in training camp and in the first two preseason games before landing on the shelf. Even as a rotational pass rusher, Smith should be able to help the Eagles whenever he is back on the field.
Also not practicing on Monday: Greg Ward Jr. (ankle), Trey Sermon, Kyron Johnson (appendectomy) and Jordan Davis (illness).
Ward has missed the last five practices and did not play against the Colts in the preseason finale.
Sermon had an ankle injury leading into the the game Colts but played. He finished with 30 rushing yards on 16 carries with a touchdown.
Johnson on Monday worked on a side field with trainers for the second straight day. He missed the end of training camp and the second and third preseason games after an appendectomy.
A few players have returned to practice in the last couple of days: Haason Reddick (thumb), Quez Watkins (hamstring) and Britain Covey (hamstring).
Reddick had surgery on his thumb but the team has been confident he’ll be ready for the opener.
The Eagles won’t have to release official injury reports until next week (game week) before they play the Patriots.
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