The Eagles will activate linebacker Nakobe Dean from the reserve/physically unable to perform list to play on Thursday Night Football against the Giants, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
The Eagles will limit Dean’s workload.
“Because he hasn’t had any [2025] game[s], no training camp, it wouldn’t be a full-time role yet, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday when asked what role Dean would play if he returns.
Dean, 24, has not played since tearing a patellar tendon in the Eagles’ playoff win over the Packers on Jan. 13.
The Eagles opened his 21-day practice window last week. He had two limited practices before four consecutive full practices.
Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell have played well in Dean’s absence, so it is unclear how the Eagles will handle playing time once Dean is back up to speed.
Giants Clips
The Giants are holding out hope that right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will be able to play against the Eagles on Thursday night.
Eluemunor is dealing with a back injury, but he was able to return to limited practice participation on Wednesday. He’s listed as questionable to face the Eagles.
As expected, quarterback Jaxson Dart (hamstring) has no injury designation despite being listed as limited on Monday’s estimated practice report.
Reports indicated that wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) would miss the game and he was officially ruled out on Wednesday. Linebackers Swayze Bozeman (ankle) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) have also been ruled out for this week.
The Eagles made a significant addition to their injury report on Wednesday.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter has a heel injury and he was listed as a limited participant in their final practice before facing the Giants on Thursday night. Carter landed a questionable designation for the game.
Carter dealt with a shoulder injury this summer, but has been active for all five of the team’s games. He was ejected ahead of the first play of their season-opening win over the Cowboys, however.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean (knee) is also listed as questionable to make his first appearance of the season. The team will need to make a roster move to activate him from the physically unable to perform list if he’s going to play.
Left guard Landon Dickerson (ankle) and tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique) have been ruled out.
It’s obvious that the Eagles are struggling to get their offense on the right track. It’s equally obvious that there’s a lingering disconnect between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown.
The situation is impacting the rest of the offense. As evidenced by a recent meeting between Hurts, Brown, and running back Saquon Barkley, whose numbers are dramatically down from last year’s season for the ages.
They’ll be back at it on Thursday night against the Giants. On Tuesday, New York coach Brian Daboll shrewdly stirred the pot when asked by reporters whether he’s cognizant of the possibility that the Philly offense will make a concerted effort to get Brown the ball.
“Yeah, you watch all the games, and you watch him when he’s out there get open,” Daboll said. “Big, strong, fast, has good hands, can run any route you want him to run. Sure, they can throw him the ball as many times as they want. That means Saquon doesn’t get it or you give it to Saquon, and AJ doesn’t get it. There’s one ball. They’re all really good players. Smitty [receiver Devonta Smith]. I’ve been around Smitty. I think he’s an exceptional receiver, too. Do I think, sure, whatever they want to do or think they need to do, that’s what they’ll do. You have to watch the tape. AJ’s open a lot. . . . There’s a lot of weapons, I would say. on that offense. and whatever they choose to do is what they do.”
The multiple references to Brown being “open” weren’t accidental. Daboll confirmed the fundamental basis for Brown’s frustrations.
He’s an elite receiver. And the situation could result in the Eagles leaning a little too heavily on trying to get him the ball, to the detriment of the running game.
The Giants will not have one of their offensive contributors for Thursday night’s matchup against the Eagles.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, receiver Darius Slayton is set to miss the Week 6 contest with a hamstring injury.
Slayton has been listed as a non-participant on each of the Giants’ first two injury reports this week. As Fowler notes, hamstring injuries are difficult to recover from on a short week.
In five games this season, Clayton has caught 12 passes for 166 yards. He’s been on the field for 87 percent of New York’s offensive snaps.
The Giants’ full injury report with game statuses will be released later on Wednesday.
Saquon Barkley’s departure from the Giants to sign with the Eagles is less of a talking point this year than it was in 2024, but the running back is still a center of attention heading into Thursday night’s game between the teams at MetLife Stadium.
Barkley put together one of the most prolific seasons in league history last year, but he has just 83 carries for 267 yards and 17 catches for 128 yards through five games this year. He’s coming off a game that saw him run the ball just six times, which has been added to the larger conversation about why the Eagles offense has been off track this season.
It can only take one game to get things back on track and Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said he doesn’t want it to happen Thursday when asked about Barkley’s slow start.
“Could be teams scheming for him,” Lawrence said, via a transcript from the team. “It happens, but you don’t want to be the team to let him get hot. So, you’ve got to stay disciplined Thursday and go win.”
None of the Eagles’ biggest offensive stars have been playing up to past levels, so there’s a lot of potential breakouts for the Giants to concern themselves with and making sure they don’t happen will be their best path to a win this week.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (knee) returned to limited participation in the team’s walkthrough.
The Eagles estimated Barkley as a non-participant on Monday, and a report later clarified that it was “general soreness” that the All-Pro was experiencing. Barkley is expected to be fine for Thursday Night Football.
The rest of the Eagles’ report remained unchanged from Monday.
Offensive lineman Landon Dickerson (ankle) and tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique) remained listed as non-participants.
Linebacker Jihaad Campbell (biceps) and defensive tackle Byron Young (triceps) again were limited.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is returning from the physically unable to perform list, remained a full participant.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Tuesday that quarterback Jaxson Dart is on track to start Thursday’s game against the Eagles.
The quarterback’s status on the day’s injury report reflects that.
Dart was upgraded from limited to a full participant on New York’s injury report. The Giants held a walk-through on Tuesday instead of a full practice given the short week.
Dart has completed 65 percent of his throws for 313 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions so far in 2025. He’s also rushed for 109 yards with a TD.
Linebacker Swayze Bozeman (ankle), offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (back), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring), and receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) were all listed as non-participants.
Running back Tyrone Tracy (shoulder), safety Dane Belton (shoulder), safety Jevon Holland (calf), safety Tyler Rubin (groin), and cornerback Dre Phillips (hip) remained limited on Tuesday’s report.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is on the team’s injury report, but there isn’t any concern about his availability for Thursday night’s game against the Eagles.
Dart was listed as limited by a hamstring injury on Monday’s estimated practice report and head coach Brian Daboll said at a Tuesday press conference that the quarterback is on track to play this week. The start will be Dart’s third since being promoted and his first against an NFC East opponent.
Wide receiver Darius Slayton’s outlook isn’t as clear. Slayton will be listed as out of practice with a hamstring injury for the second straight day and that leaves his status as an open question.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (back), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) and linebacker Swayze Bozeman (ankle) will also be listed as non-participants, but Daboll said he’s hopeful about running back Tyrone Tracy (shoulder) returning after missing the last two games.
If Giants fans thought franchise-related reality TV could get no worse than last year’s Offseason Hard Knocks series, they should think again.
A new documentary focusing on running back Saquon Barkley will tear away the scab and pour a pound of salt into it.
On Thursday, Prime Video unveils the show. That same night, Barkley returns to face the Giants for the second time at MetLife Stadium.
Via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Barkley asked for permission to seek a trade in July 2023, the final day for signing franchise-tagged players to multi-year contracts.
“I’m not going to do that,” Giants co-owner John Mara tells Barkley. “That makes no sense for us. To be honest with you, it’s not going to be in your long-term best interest to do that. There’s no way that I would allow that at this point. You are too valuable to this franchise.”
It would have been difficult if not impossible for a new team to get Barkley signed to a long-term contract before the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. A trade most likely would have left the new team with a one-year contract — and no ability to extend it until after the 2023 season ended.
Still, the Giants could have realized that getting some value for Barkley during the 2023 season was better than getting nothing. At the deadline, the Giants were 2-6. And Barkley had rushed for 128 yards on 36 carries in a 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets. The Giants possibly could have found a trade partner — ideally, not one in the NFC East.
The Giants instead allowed him to become a free agent in 2024. Philadelphia was the destination predicted by a close friend of Barkley’s on the day the Giants applied the franchise tag in 2023.
“This isn’t Madden,” Barkley said at the time. “This is my life.”
His life changed permanently when the Eagles snagged him a year later.
It worked out incredibly well for Barkley. Last year, things went better for him than they ever had in his entire NFL career.
“Am I having an MVP-type season if I’m with the New York Giants?” Barkley says during the documentary. “No.”
In October 2024, Barkley had 17 carries for 176 yards in his return to his former home stadium. This year, with Saquon’s production dramatically dipping, maybe it will be the game that gets his season on track.
