Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is not worried about his opponents’ roster turnover.
It has been a tumultuous week for the Philadelphia Eagles, with significant injuries, trades, cuts, and a mid-season retirement. Amid the chaos, the Eagles will make the 7-hour flight to London to play the Jags at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
At a press conference Friday, Coen stressed that the Jags cannot be complacent, because the Eagles are still a great team.
“We’ve tried to look at it as, that we can’t worry about that, or if that even creeps into our minds, we’re probably worrying about the wrong things, because it is about us,” said Coen of the long list of changes ahead of their matchup.
“It’s about our execution, our game plan, our fundamentals, technique, communication.”
The Eagles have five players of note out for Sunday’s contest.
Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams; wide receiver DeVonta Smith injured his hamstring in Week 3; safety Marcus Epps is out with a groin injury; center Drew Kendall is out with a knee injury; wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has not played since Week 1 due to an ankle injury.
The Eagles are also stacking names on the injured reserve list, including backup RB Tank Bigsby; left guard Landon Dickerson; tight ends Eli Stowers and Grant Calcaterra; cornerback Jakorian Bennett; safety Andre’ Sam; and wide receiver Johnny Wilson. On Friday, the Eagles added international player and practice squad defensive lineman Uar Bernard to the list.
Then there are the roster moves.
The Jurgens trade and Kendall’s injury mean practice squad center Jake Majors will start at pivot, while at running back the Eagles will have to lean on Will Shipley, veteran Dameon Pierce, and practice squad RB Carson Steele.
Several more players will be battling through injury.
Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is listed as questionable with an ankle injury despite not practicing all week. Quarterback Jalen Hurts (calf), edge A.J. Epenesa (back), and tight end E.J. Jenkins (toe) were all late adds to the list Friday, but will still be available Sunday. Linebackers Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell; TEs Dallas Goedert and E.J. Jenkins; tackle Fred Johnson; corner Quinyon Mitchell, and WR Dontayvion Wicks are back from injury.
But Coen praised Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni for being a rock through it all.
“Nick Sirianni does a great job. This team, this group won a Super Bowl a few years ago. They know how to handle adversity. They know how to handle some of these things,” he said.
“They’ve had a ton of guys play and help them win over the course of the last few years. So, uh, I know they’ll be ready to play, that’s for sure. And it’s really got to be about us. I mean, that’s something that we continue to talk about as a team.”
London Match
For Coen’s side, Sunday is the first of a two-week doubleheader across the pond; they take on the Houston Texans next week. The Jags have become the de facto representatives for the United Kingdom, having played there every year since 2013 and amassing a significant following among the British.
Coen said the long plane ride and the change in rhythm are challenging, but playing in London is a blessing that comes with playing in the NFL.
“That’s a sense of pride. You get an opportunity to go put this on display, the game of football continuing to grow,” Coen said.
“That’s good for the game. And that’s good for the sport. I was just back here this summer. I was at Wimbledon this summer out here. I did a five-day golf trip with my dad in Manchester, Liverpool. And so, we love it out here. It’s my wife’s favorite city,” he said.
“And so, I hope we continue to come back, because I think it’s just really cool for our players, staff, coaches, and organization to continue to grow the game, but also experience different cultures.”
