The Philadelphia Eagles were without the services of safety Earl Wolff for their preseason-opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Wolff revealed after the game that despite his return to Eagles training camp practice for six periods last week, his knee, which cost him every game after Week 8 against the Houston Texans last season, has again become an issue, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.
"It's just been getting worse and worse every day," Wolff told NJ.com. "It got to the point where I couldn't walk after practice."
Wolff suited up for the first six training camp practices, but has been in-and-out since and sat out of the Eagles last practice prior to the game against Indianapolis. Wolff told NJ.com that he doesn't know if there was a specific incident which aggravated the injury. Wolff had microfracture surgery last year and was placed on injured reserve by the team. It is the same injury which has sidelined 2014 first-overall pick of the Houston Texans, Jadeveon Clowney, and robbed Eagles outside linebacker Brandon Graham of much of his first and second NFL seasons.
Despite the injury flare up and the negative history of the procedure, Wolff remains hopeful of appearing in an Eagles preseason game.
"That is my goal," Wolff said, via Shorr-Parks. "It feels better than it did three days ago, so it is improving."
Improving or not, it seems surgery remains a possibility though. Wolff, per Shorr-Parks, will speak with renowned NFL orthopaedist Dr. James Andrews soon. He indicated his hope that he won't require another procedure.
In his place against Indianapolis on Sunday, last year's fifth-round pick Ed Reynolds played very well, managing two interceptions for the Eagles secondary. With Malcolm Jenkins the only entrenched starter at safety, jobs are up for grabs. Walter Thurmond looks close to locked in alongside Jenkins, but beyond that, questions abound. Wolff, despite a promising rookie season and even before this latest setback, looked to be in danger of missing the cut.
