UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.: Eagles head coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Wednesday that the report that Bennie Logan could be shut down is "not accurate."
There may be a reason why the Philadelphia Eagles run defense, so stout for the early part of the 2015 NFL season, has been much less effective in recent weeks, culminating in outright abysmal efforts in games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and this past weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. According to a report from Derrick Gunn of CSN Philly, Eagles nose tackle Bennie Logan suffered a calf strain that may very well end his season and could serve as an explanation as to why Cardinals rookie running back David Johnson tuned up Philly for 187 yards on the ground on Sunday night.
A source tells me Bennie Logan could be shut down for the year because of a calf injury that definitely hurts the run defense if it's true
— Derrick Gunn (@TheRealDGunnCSN) December 23, 2015
Gunn later tweeted that the injury was actually a calf tear, which would certainly seem to spell doom for the remainder of Logan's season and combined with the injuries to starting cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Eric Rowe, could spell doom for the Eagles 2015 season.
Logan calf tear, Thornton ankle issues, Maxwell shoulder/collar bone, Rowe concussion ... Did I miss anything ???
— Derrick Gunn (@TheRealDGunnCSN) December 23, 2015
Logan, a former third-round pick out of LSU, has developed into an athletic playmaker on the interior of the Eagle defensive line. Along with Pro Bowl defensive end Fletcher Cox and the unheralded Cedric Thornton, Logan and Co. have formed a stout front that over the past couple of seasons has been one of the brightest spots on an inconsistent Eagle team.
Logan has started 38 games for Philly defensive coordinator Billy Davis since taking over the lead role midway through his rookie season of 2013. Per Les Bowen of Philly.com, Logan has been nursing an ankle injury in recent weeks and suffered the calf strain against the Cardinals.
Sources have indicated to Bowen that Logan will be out for this weekend's pivotal matchup against the division rival Washington Redskins, a game which will likely decide both team's playoff fates, and it also sounds like his season could be over entirely. This is likely worrisome for an Eagles team that surrendered 235 yards on the ground to Buccaneers running back Doug Martin just four weeks before Johnson ran roughshod over them in front of a national audience. Washington is a team that likes to establish the run with Alfred Morris and Matt Jones and work in big plays off play action, with quarterback Kirk Cousins targeting the likes of tight end Jordan Reed and game-breaking former Eagles wide receiver Desean Jackson.
In Logan's place, former seventh-round pick Beau Allen is likely to see increased snaps at nose tackle, although Cox, Thornton and Brandon Bair have the versatility to line up there if needed. Allen has 17 tackles and one pass defensed on the season.
If the Eagles are going to have any chance on Saturday night, they'll have to find a way to stop the run first and turn the Redskins offense into a one-dimensional unit. That will be no small feat with Logan likely out for the game, and possibly the season.
