Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby suffered a dislocated ankle during Sunday’s victory against the Redskins, but things are not as bad as they could have been. An MRI on Monday morning showed that Darby did not suffer any major ligament damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The dislocated ankle will keep him out for 4-6 weeks.
Without Darby, a thin Philadelphia secondary now becomes a even thinner with Patrick Robinson likely joining Jalen Mills as a starter in base packages. The Eagles played with only three active cornerbacks Sunday, relying on the ability of their safeties — including Corey Graham and Jaylen Watkins — to moonlight at corner if needed. Going forward, Rasul Douglas and/or Dexter McDougle will likely be active.
Other options could be in play, as well, including the potential promotion of practice squad corner C.J. Smith. Alternatively, the Eagles could hypothetically look to re-sign free agents Leodis McKelvin or Ron Brooks, both of whom were released earlier this year. Neither played well for Philadelphia in 2016, but both are familiar with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s scheme.
Darby is a newcomer to the Eagles’ defensive backfield, as the Birds acquired him from the Bills last month in exchange for a third-round pick and receiver Jordan Matthews. A former second-round draft choice, Darby has been up-and-down through two NFL seasons, but had been poised to serve as Philadelphia’s No. 1 cornerback.
That injury looked bad. Never seen a dislocated ankle before, and the trainer couldn’t realign it on the field. Must have hurt like hell. Best wishes, Ronald.
When the injury happened, I said to my friends “I hope it’s not a dislocation. When I saw the EMTs and medical personnel out on the field, I knew that’s what it was. What makes a dislocated ankle so serious at the outset is the artery in the ankle, and the fear that something happens to that artery when the foot becomes dislocated.
Report now has him out 4-6 weeks…pheeeeeewewww. When you saw the injury I thought for sure his season was over.