Philadelphia Eagles kicker Cody Parkey reportedly re-aggravated a groin injury he suffered during the preseason either sometime during the Eagles game against the New York Jets this weekend or during the week of practice prior, according to a report from Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. The injury has, per Garafolo, spurred the Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly to hold tryouts to find a potential replacement for Parkey should he be unable to go against the NFC East rival Washington Redskins this weekend. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Parkey will undergo an MRI on his groin on Monday.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Eagles tryouts will include Caleb Sturgis, Nick Novak and Billy Cundiff. Albert Breer of NFL.com adds that Kai Forbath, Shayne Graham and Carey Spear will also attend.
UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.: Rapoport reports that the Eagles have placed Parkey on Injured Reserve and will be signing Sturgis.
Parkey, after posting a Pro Bowl rookie season, is now three of four on field goals this season in Philly. He struggled during the preseason and has been shaky on kickoffs - one of his kickoffs this past week bounced out of bounds, giving the Jets great field position to start a first-half drive. He's been unable to get much distance on his kickoffs during the still-young 2015 season, which is troubling for an Eagles team that has prided itself on strong special teams play under Kelly and coordinator Dave Fipp.
While the revelation that the groin injury Parkey suffered during the preseason may actually be the reason for his poor play thus far this season, hopefully ruling out simply regression, it's likely little solace to an Eagles fan base that hasn't had much to cheer about this year. While the team did manage their first win of the season against New York on Sunday afternoon, they did so without a number of key pieces including linebackers Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks, defensive linemen Cedric Thornton and Taylor Hart and starting guard Andrew Gardner, who left the game in the second half and was seen afterward wearing a walking boot.
Parkey could potentially join them on the shelf, meaning the Eagles could be shorthanded for their division matchup against the Redskins this weekend.
