5 Eagles Looking Likely to Miss Preseason Opener After Latest Injury News

The Philadelphia Eagles are days away from opening their preseason as they're set to face the Baltimore Ravens on the road later this week. Eagles fans are excited to see who'll be in the lineup on Friday as Nick Sirianni & Co. look to turn things around following January's unfortunate playoff exit.

While the preseason is mostly for bubble players to make a name for themselves, it's also a useful tool to help veterans get back into game shape. Unfortunately, training camp injuries can throw a wrench into a coach's preseason game plans and that's exactly what the Eagles are dealing with this week.

Eagles News: 5 Players Injured Ahead of Preseason Opener

As the showdown with the Ravens is just over 48 hours away, Eagles insider Zach Berman reported that five key players were absent from Wednesday's practice. The individuals in question are linebackers Oren Burks (knee) and Brandon Smith (concussion), wideout Parris Campbell (groin), safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and cornerback Mekhi Garner.

The biggest injury of the bunch is Gardner-Johnson's shoulder issue.

The seasoned ballhawk was one of the Eagles' biggest offseason signings (three years, $33 million) after being limited to just three games with the Detroit Lions last season. Interestingly enough, it was a pectoral injury that forced him to miss all that action, leaving time to tell if he can improve his upper-body health going forward.

Burks — who joined the Eagles on a one-year, $2.5 million contract this offseason — has now missed nine consecutive practice sessions due to his knee injury. The veteran linebacker tallied 29 solo tackles, one sack, and an interception in 15 games with the San Francisco 49ers last season.

As for Smith, the third-year LB is going on four straight practice sessions without participating. He's heading into his second year with the Eagles after only assisting on a tackle in two games last season.

Campbell was pegged to be Philadelphia's WR3 this fall, however, a wrench has been thrown into those plans due to his groin injury. The Eagles newcomer is looking to rebound in the Jalen Hurts-led offense after registering just 104 receiving yards without a touchdown on 20 catches with the rival New York Giants in 2023.

Meanwhile, Garner's hamstring injury could potentially hurt his 53-man roster odds if he can't get back on the field soon. The second-year safety's outlook was already shaky after only playing 72 snaps last season (27 defense, 45 special teams), which resulted in only one solo tackle.

Hopefully, none of the above injuries are that serious and that the quintet can get back on gridiron sooner rather than later. As of Wednesday, the Eagles head into Friday's showdown as FanDuel Sportsbook's 1.5-point road favorites over the Ravens.

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