dealing with DL injuries

The Eagles are working through injuries to 3 starters up front. DE Jason Babin is out 2-3 weeks with a calf strain. DT Cullen Jenkins left Wednesday's workout with a hamstring injury. (The results of Wednesday night's MRI have yet to be revealed.) DE Trent Cole is dealing with shoulder swelling. Cole's is a day-to-day thing and doesn't appear concerning. Babin's will cost him more time, but he should be fine if he returns healthy. He can probably remember "at the snap, go get the QB" without practicing every day. We'll see how serious Jenkins' injury is. Fortunately for the Eagles, they spent this offseason building ridiculous DL depth. Babin's absence should create opportunities for Brandon Graham, a 2010 1st-round pick still trying to bounce back from his rookie-year ACL tear. Rookie Vinny Curry could factor in more as well. Missing Jenkins would likely leave more reps for this year's 1st-rounder, Fletcher Cox. There might not be a team better equipped to deal with this kind of situation.

The Eagles have named Shane Steichen their new OC. Steichen coached alongside new Eagles HC Nick Sirianni with the Chargers from 2014 to 2017. He took over as Chargers OC midway through the 2019 campaign and then led the squad to a 9th-place finish in total yards this past year. The 2020 Chargers were a fast-paced offense, ranking 5th in situation-neutral pace.

The Eagles are hiring Nick Sirianni as their new HC, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Sirianni has 12 seasons of experience in the league, spending the past 3 as Colts OC. Indianapolis finished top 7 in points and yards with QB Andrew Luck in Sirianni's 1st year. The unit took a step back after Luck's surprise retirement in 2019 but bounced back to rank 9th in points and 10th in yards this past season. It's worth noting, though, that it was HC Frank Reich calling the plays for the Colts. So the 39-year-old Sirianni heads to Philly as a bit of an unknown.

The Eagles have fired HC Doug Pederson. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the move was made as a result of both on-field performance and disagreements between Pederson and management on coaching staff changes for 2021 and beyond. "Pederson was sick of people telling him what to do," Rapoport adds. Pederson is just 3 seasons removed from bringing a Super Bowl to Philadelphia, but his 2020 Eagles were 1 of the most disappointing teams in the league. We'll see who Philly hires as its new HC and, more importantly, how they decide to move forward at QB.

The Eagles have ruled DE Derek Barnett and DT Fletcher Cox out for Sunday night's season finale against Washington. With DE Josh Sweat on IR, that leaves Vinny Curry to start opposite Brandon Graham for the 2nd straight game. He carries intriguing upside against Washington. With Cox missing, Javon Hargrave and Malik Jackson figure to be the top 2 at DT again.

Eagles DEs Brandon Graham (concussion) and Derek Barnett (hamstring) are active for today's game against the Rams. It'll be Barnett's 2020 debut after he missed the opener. Graham profiles better for IDP usage. Both help the upside of the Philly team defense.