Eagles Injury Update: Lane Johnson Misses Start Of A New Week

Eagles injury update: Lane Johnson misses start of a new week originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) was not practicing on Thursday as the Eagles kicked off their week of prep to face the Chargers in Los Angeles on Monday.

Johnson, 35, has missed the last two games after suffering a Lisfranc sprain against the Lions on Nov. 16. The Eagles did not place Johnson on Injured Reserve with the hope that he could return within the four-week span he would have missed had the Eagles put him on IR.

But with Johnson missing the start of a new week, it seems likely he won’t return this week. Perhaps the Raiders game in Week 15 is a possibility.

If Johnson indeed can’t start on Monday night, expect veteran Fred Johnson to make his third straight start.

In addition to Johnson, the Eagles were also without defensive tackle Jalen Carter on Thursday. Carter had a procedure on both of his shoulders on Monday and is out for this game against the Chargers. He’s considered week-to-week.

Receiver/punt returner Xavier Gipson (shoulder) returned to practice after missing the Bears game with an injury suffered in Dallas. Gipson is dealing with an AC joint sprain. In his absence last week, the Eagles promoted Britain Covey to the 53-man roster to return punts.

Safety Marcus Epps also returned to practice on Thursday. The Eagles opened his practice window earlier this week and Vic Fangio said he expects Epps to be ready to play on Monday night. Epps missed the last four games but could be in line to start against the Chargers in place of Sydney Brown, who struggled to replace the injured Drew Mukuba (ankle) last week. 

Mukuba’s rookie season might be over, but perhaps the veteran Epps can bring some stability to the back end of the defense.

The Eagles will release their first official injury report of the week later in the day.