Brandon

Brooks

Brooks was drafted by the Texans in the third round in 2012 and became a full-time starter in 2013. Brooks joined Philadelphia in 2016 and started every game for the Eagles in their 2017 Super Bowl winning season. Brooks followed that up by starting every game in the 2018 and 2019 regular seasons. Brooks tore his Achilles in the 2020 offseason and missed the entire season. He then landed on injured reserve after Week 2 of 2021 with a strained pectoral and did not return. The Eagles restructured Brooks’ contract last week in anticipation of his retirement.

Brooks will be eligible to return three weeks after being placed on injured reserve but Sirianni would only say that the pec strain isn’t season-ending, indicating that he’ll be out for more than the three-game minimum. He left the Eagles’ Week 2 loss to the 49ers in the first half and was unable to return. Second-round rookie Landon Dickerson stepped in for Brooks last week and would likely be tasked with starting at right guard until Brooks returns. Any downgrade in offensive line play would be a slight knock against Jalen Hurts but his rushing output makes him an every-week fantasy starter regardless of protection.

Brooks walked to the locker room in the first quarter and has yet to return. Landon Dickerson took his spot on the line. The Eagles selected Dickerson in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft but he was held out of Week 1 while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in college.

The Eagles technically opened Brooks’ 21-day practice window after he tore his Achilles’ over the summer, but the veteran isn’t going to play this season. Opening his window just gives him a chance to get in some reps before the Eagles break for the offseason. Brooks sounds like he should be 100% well in advance of training camp next summer.

The move is just paperwork at this point as Brooks’ season was lost as soon as he tore his Achilles’ tendon in July. Brooks was Pro Football Focus’ top rated guard in 2019 and was still only 30 years old. The team has since brought back Jason Peters, a veteran of Philadelphia’s line, to fill in for Brooks.

Devastating. Brooks suffered the injury working out at the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex on Monday. It’s an incalculable blow for the Eagles, as Brooks rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall guard in 2019. Two months shy of his 31st birthday, Brooks had previously not missed a game since 2016, though he tore his right Achilles in the 2018 postseason. Although he does not play guard, this ups the pressure on the Eagles to reunite with longtime Philly tackle Jason Peters. The Eagles did use a fourth-round pick on OG Jack Driscoll. Isaac Seumalo was decent on the left side in 2019.

He expects to be cleared for training camp. Brooks was phenomenal this year, garnering his third straight Pro Bowl nod while earning PFF’s No. 2 grade among qualified guards. His loss was clearly felt in Sunday’s loss to Seattle as fill-in Matt Pryor struggled mightily in his absence.

Philadelphia also lost DE Daeshon Hall (knee) for the rest of the postseason. The team is expected to turn to Matt Pryor — a second-year sixth-rounder who has yet to start a game for the Eagles — in the interim at right guard. Brooks’ separated right shoulder will also require surgery, leaving the 30-year-old’s status for OTAs officially up in the air. He’s due $9.65 million in 2020.

Brooks was carted off with a dislocated shoulder in Week 17 and will head for more tests Monday. Miles Sanders was also hurt in Sunday’s regular-season finale and will undergo an MRI to assess the damage to his injured ankle. Matt Pryor would spell Brooks at right guard if he can’t go against Seattle in Round 1.

Though the Eagles listed him with an illness upon exiting in the first quarter, Brooks later confirmed on Twitter that his departure was related to a recurrence of his past anxiety issues. “I’ve had this under control for a couple of years and had a setback yesterday,” said Brooks, who has been open about his past panic attacks. His symptoms included vomiting and exhaustion. Brooks’ honesty in addressing his mental health is admirable and will hopefully lead to further dialogue on a growing concern affecting many both nation and worldwide. Outside of football, NBA stars Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan have both been vocal proponents of mental health awareness.