Brandon Brooks injury could lead Philadelphia Eagles to re-sign Jason Peters
Big blow to the Philadelphia Eagles as Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks has been lost for the season.
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One has to wonder if there will be more injuries in the NFL this season than years past because players weren't allowed to work out at team facilities and under the supervision of trainers/doctors as the facilities were all closed for months due to the coronavirus. They recently reopened and already the Philadelphia Eagles have suffered a huge hit as Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks tore his left Achilles tendon working out Monday at the team's facility and will miss the 2020 season.
Since he signed with Philadelphia in 2016 after arriving in free agency from the Houston Texans, Brooks has started 62 regular-season games. He tore the right Achilles' tendon in a Divisional Round playoff game in New Orleans following the 2018 season but made it back in time to start the 2019 opener and would go on to be named to a third consecutive Pro Bowl. Pro Football Focus rated him as the NFL's No. 1 overall guard last year.
There would seem to be one clear-cut option to potentially replace Brooks in the lineup and that's nine-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters – even though he has never played guard in his pro career. The Eagles allowed the 38-year-old to hit free agency in March and he's still unsigned. There were no hard feelings on either side, so Peters surely would have no problems returning to the team he has been with since 2009.
Peters is a very athletic guy who actually played tight end at the University of Arkansas. Moving to guard shouldn't be that much of a transition for a member of the NFL's 2020 All-Decade Team.
Philly was set to go with 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard at Peters' left tackle spot, but perhaps Dillard could instead play guard if need be. It's easier to move from tackle to guard than vice versa for the most part. Matt Pryor, a third-year player from TCU, played right guard in Brooks' absence during this past season's playoff loss to Seattle when Brooks had a shoulder injury and could slide into that spot. Two players drafted this year, fourth-rounder Jack Driscoll and sixth-rounder Prince Tega Wanogho, also could factor in.
Another potential option? Former Bears Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long, who said on Twitter Monday that he's not retired but will need a few weeks to decide if he will play this year. Long said that if he does return, it won't be with Chicago. His brother Chris played defensive end for Philly from 2017-18.
The Eagles open the season as 5.5-point pointspread favorites on the NFL odds at the division-rival Redskins.
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