PHILADELPHIA _ The Eagles' season-long Darren Sproles injury debacle deepened Thursday morning with a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter stating that Sproles had aggravated his hamstring injury in his return to practice Wednesday, sidelining the running back for Sunday night's visit from the Dallas Cowboys.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said just before practice Wednesday that he expected Sproles to play against Dallas, for the first time since the season opener. Sproles, 35, suffered his hamstring injury in practice the next week and hasn't played since. He did practice partially _ once in late September, and then again Wednesday.
Typically, a player who is going to be out more than a few weeks is placed on injured reserve, but it seemed throughout September and October that Sproles might be close to returning. The word was that the team didn't bring him back sooner because it wanted to make sure the injury was fully healed.
Assuming Schefter is correct, that was not the case.
The Eagles had no immediate comment on the report.
The Eagles waived returner DeAndre Carter, who was doing a good job in Sproles' absence, when it seemed Sproles was ready. Carter was picked up off waivers Wednesday by the Houston Texans. It seems likely that newcomer Golden Tate will inherit return duties. This latest Sproles setback means the Eagles' decision not to seek additional running-back help at the Oct. 30 trade deadline will be second-guessed. The team lost Jay Ajayi for the season to a knee injury, and now goes forward with Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, and rookie Josh Adams.
The saga of the Eagles' continued faith in the recovery of a 35-year-old back who missed most of last season with arm and knee injuries is likely to be further scrutinized.
