After DeSean Jackson underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles made the decision to officially place him on injured reserve. The Eagles' veteran receiver has been limited to just three games this season. He caught one pass during Sunday's win over the Bears, and then left the game for good following the Eagles' first offensive possession. Jackson initially sustained the injury during the Eagles' Week 2 loss to the Falcons.
"During the first quarter of the game against the Bears, DeSean experienced discomfort and was held out for precautionary reasons," the Eagles said in a statement. "After further testing and discussion this morning, it was determined that the best course of action for a full recovery is to proceed with surgery."
On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the surgery would likely keep Jackson sidelined for "at least six weeks." That was considered a best-case scenario, and Philadelphia went ahead and decided to rule him out for the rest of the year. Earlier on Monday, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson discussed Jackson's injury on SportsRadio 94 WIP, and sounded confident that Jackson would be able to return to the fold healthy in the near future.
"Fully expect him to be good in a couple weeks," Pederson said. "He was going to be limited, we knew that going in. Everybody was comfortable with that decision. He gets into the football game and he had a moment there where he said something felt something, and so we took him in for really precautionary reasons.
"And everything, what I heard after the game, checked out good. We'll check him out again this morning. I'll get an update here in a little while. But I fully expect him to be good in a couple of weeks."
A three-time Pro Bowler during his first stint with the Eagles from 2008-13, Jackson returned to Philadelphia this season after spending three seasons with the Redskins and the past two seasons with the Buccaneers. Jackson, who has led the NFL in yards per reception four times during his 12-year career, has caught just nine passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in what has been an injury-marred season to this point.
Despite Jackson's recent absence (he's played in just 16 snaps over the past eight games, via CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr), the Eagles have found their footing after a 3-4 start. Following their Week 7 road loss to the division rival Cowboys, Philadelphia has won consecutive games that includes Sunday's 22-14 win over the visiting Bears. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 239 yards and a score while also not throwing an interception, while running backs Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders combined to rush for 124 yards and a score on 19 carries. Philadelphia's defense was downright dominant, holding Chicago to 10 first downs and 164 total yards.
Philadelphia won on Sunday without a stellar statistical performance by a receiver, something that will likely have to change if the Eagles are going to remain in contention for a playoff spot during the second half of the season.
