The Philadelphia Eagles received some heartbreaking news on Monday when it was announced that Brandon Brooks has suffered a torn Achilles.
Brooks confirmed the news and stated that it was his other Achilles and not the one torn in the Eagles 2018 playoff loss to the Saints.
With Brooks done and the Eagles season off to a rocky start, here are four takeaways from the news.
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1. Eagles best lineman is gone for the year
Brooks was the highest-graded guard in football in 2019, the second-ranked guard on the PFF top 50 list, and the fifth-ranked player on PFF’s 2019 101 lists.
Over the last three seasons, Brooks has started all 48 regular-season games, while playing in 95% of the Eagles offensive snaps and making the. Pro Bowl in each season.
Brooks tore his right Achilles tendon in January 2019.
2. Matt Pryor gets his shot
Pryor is about to be a household name even after starting the NFC Wild Card loss to the Seahawks in Brooks’ place. Pryor is a solid guard, but Brooks’ absence was front and center in that loss and he’ll need to be better.
Originally selected by the Eagles in the 6th round (206th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, Pryor actually made his first career NFL start in place of an injured Brooks in that Wild Card game vs. Seattle. Pryor played collegiately at TCU, where he started in 31 games (23 at guard) and earned All-Big 12 honors following his senior season in 2017.
3. Eagles could give Jason Peters a call
One of the most athletic linemen in the NFL, Peters volunteered to play guard last season for the Eagles if it would get the five best guys on the field while Lane Johnson and others were nursing injuries.
He made it clear that he was up for the move if it extended his career.
