Eagles face London without Barkley, Smith and Brown; three starters return

Philadelphia heads into Sunday's London game without Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith and Marquise Brown, leaving Jalen Hurts and a reshuffled supporting cast to face the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Eagles ruled out all three offensive starters Friday, while clearing Dallas Goedert, Fred Johnson and Zack Baun to return.

Barkley and Smith are sidelined by hamstring injuries, and Brown is out with an ankle injury. The Eagles also ruled out safety Marcus Epps with a groin injury and center/guard Drew Kendall with a knee injury. Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard remains questionable with an ankle injury after missing practice throughout the week.

The Eagles released their official London matchup preview Saturday.

The changes reach both the backfield and the receiving group. Barkley injured his hamstring early in last week's game against the Rams. Tank Bigsby went on injured reserve after suffering an injury later in that game, and the team expects Will Shipley to handle the primary running-back role against Jacksonville.

Shipley told the team's reporters that he has prepared as a starter since his first regular-season game as a rookie. His workload Sunday remains to be determined, but the team's injury report identifies him as the expected lead option with Barkley unavailable. Philadelphia enters the game 2-2; Jacksonville is 3-1.

Goedert's return adds an experienced pass-catching option to an offense missing two receivers. The tight end had been sidelined since a knee injury against Tennessee in Week 2 and was a full participant Friday. Johnson also practiced fully Friday after missing two consecutive games with a knee injury, clearing the tackle to play.

Baun's return helps on the other side of the ball. The linebacker missed the Rams game after sustaining a concussion against Chicago, but cleared the concussion protocol and participated fully in Friday's practice. His clearance is a confirmed return, distinct from Greenard's unresolved game designation.

Hurts appeared on the injury report with a calf issue but has no restriction on his availability for Sunday, according to the team. Tight end E.J. Jenkins also was a full participant Friday with a toe issue. Outside linebacker A.J. Epenesa was limited with a back injury, yet the Eagles said all three would be available.

Jacksonville has its own secondary concerns. Cornerback Jaylon Jones is out with a hamstring injury, and safety Eric Murray is doubtful with a concussion, according to the league's current game-status report. Philadelphia elevated tight end Zach Ertz and offensive lineman John Ojukwu from its practice squad Saturday, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro.

Kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. Eastern at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on NFL Network. Philadelphia's combination of missing skill players and returning starters is the immediate personnel question for the morning game; final active lists will establish who is available when the teams take the field.

Sources

Eagles.com: Eagles at Jaguars injury report, Week 5 · NFL: Week 5 injury designations · NBC Sports Philadelphia: Ertz, Ojukwu elevated for London