It’s been a tumultuous few days for the Philadelphia Eagles. So of course this would also be their week to travel internationally.
A new-look Philadelphia offense will take on the trending Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
The Eagles (2-2) saw six-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Lane Johnson announce his retirement Tuesday. They then traded away two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore on Wednesday. That will lead to them installing two new starting linemen while also likely being without their top two running backs.
Star back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and Tank Bigsby (core) each exited Philadelphia’s 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Barkley is considered week-to-week, while Bigsby was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
“This is life in the NFL,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters Wednesday. “And we will do the things that we can control to put ourselves in the best position to win against a very good football team this week. You will never hear me use anything as an excuse. Our job is to go handle the things that we can control.”
Leading receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) also missed Sunday’s game. Barkley, Smith and fellow receiver Marquise Brown (ankle) all missed practice Wednesday while Goedert was limited.
Should Barkley be unavailable, Will Shipley could step into a featured role. Since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2024, he’s largely been a kick returner, getting just 59 carries for 182 yards and no touchdowns in 35 games (one start).
Philadelphia also elevated Dameon Pierce from its practice squad Wednesday, giving the position group a shot in the arm of experience in a player who ran for 1,684 yards and eight TDs over the last four seasons.
“He’s an NFL starting running back,” Sirianni said of Pierce. “Maybe wouldn’t have said that when he was on our practice squad publicly, because of the fear of losing him. But he’s an NFL starting running back.”
Even with Barkley available, rushing success would be tough to come by against a Jacksonville (3-1) team which ranks second in the NFL in rushing defense (74.3 yards allowed per game).
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards in last week’s 22-17 loss to Jacksonville, but the Jaguars intercepted him twice and allowed just 23 yards on 15 carries, fifth-fewest allowed in a game in franchise history.
The Jaguars also have a league-best plus-six turnover differential (eight forced, two given away) and are second in scoring defense (13.3 points per game).
“I don’t think we really care about the credit,” Jacksonville safety Antonio Johnson said of the Jacksonville defense, which he believes is underappreciated nationally. “We’re going to go into each week, and if you don’t look at us as an imposing defense, then we’re going to impose our will on you. If you don’t respect us, then we’re going to make you respect us.”
That side of the ball, which held New England to six points the prior week, is a major catalyst behind Jacksonville’s hot start. Should the Jaguars win this week, they would be off to their second straight 4-1 start in as many seasons under Liam Coen. Before last season, they hadn’t started 4-1 or better since 2007.
“You hope that we’re a mature enough group to understand this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. And when you win, usually they’re going to talk about you well, and if we don’t play well … it’s going to get talked about no matter what,” Coen said. “We just know that it really is irrelevant. It’s so much more about us. We cannot look at anything outside for any sort of validation.
“We still have not earned anything. We have not earned it. We got to go continue to take it with the way that we play.”
Jacksonville, which will stay in London to face the Texans next week, has played a game in London every non-2020 season since 2013 and has a 7-7 record in games there after a 35-7 loss last season to the Rams.
Philadelphia is 2-0 in international games but will be playing in London for the first time since 2018, when the Eagles beat the Jaguars 24-18.
Offensive lineman Drew Kendall (knee), linebackers Jihaad Campbell (knee) and Jonathan Greenard (ankle), and safety Marcus Epps (groin) also missed Eagles practice on Wednesday.
Safety Eric Murray (concussion) was the only Jacksonville player who didn’t practice Wednesday, although quite a few players were limited, including defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (groin) and cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis (hamstring), Jarrian Jones (foot) and Montaric Brown (hamstring).
