DeSean Jackson‘s Friday morning MRI confirmed the Eagles’ fears. The wide receiver’s ankle injury will rule him out indefinitely, leaving the Eagles no choice but to put him on injured reserve (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The league’s modified rules for injured reserve allow players to return in as little as three weeks. Jackson is expected to miss more time than that, though he still has a chance to return before the season is through.
The Eagles were already keeping a watchful eye on Jackson’s condition as he was returning from a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, his leg twisted on an ill-fated punt return late in last night’s win over the Giants. It’s just the latest blow to an Eagles team that has had awful injury luck throughout the year – top targets Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, and Alshon Jeffery are also among those sidelined.
On the plus side, the Eagles got some good news on offensive tackle Lane Johnson. The veteran has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, meaning that he’ll be able to return sooner rather than later. The time off will also allow him to recover from his previous ankle injury.
There should be a fine/suspension given to the guy who late hit Jackson while on the ground, the hit that injured Jackson on the play.
The good news? Eagles get to play the Giants again. Payback is coming.
Yeah! Tell him!
He’ll get the same sanctions as Clooney for his cheap shot on Wentz last year…
Anti semite
Sorry about the cheap lick you took leading to the injury, but bye bye DJax, you were a bad signing and you were just chasing a paycheck.
I kind of question using DeSean as a punt returner in the first place. I understand he has experience in that role, but he’s aging and injury-prone at this stage of his career. Considering injuries are so common-place on special teams, I think it would be more sensible to use a young burner such as Hightower or Ward instead
He only goes back at key times, and that return was crunch time.
During the Giants’ penultimate fourth quarter drive, Jackson found Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp on the sideline and volunteered to return that punt with a little more than two minutes remaining.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for DeSean,” Fipp said Tuesday. “During that last drive, he had come up to me and said, ‘Hey, man, if they’re punting this ball backed up or if they’re punting this ball, put me back there. I want to go back there and make a play.’
“Just a really unselfish football player trying to do anything he could to help the organization help win a football game. He knew it was a spot where the team needed him. He wanted a chance to step up and make a play for the team. So, obviously, he jumped back in there to take that kick.”
Even dating back to the summer, the Eagles talked about using Jackson as a punt returner in big spots. While Greg Ward is a sure-handed returner, the Eagles felt like they needed a spark in that situation. And they were happy to grant Jackson’s request.
Darn this guy can never stay out of the trainers room. Teams are foolish for signing him
He suffered a fractured ankle from a late hit. Management is supposed to see that coming? Dude…