Kenny Phillips misses practice for Eagles with quad injury

Speaking to reporters prior to Wednesday's practice, defensive coordinator Billy Davis said the upcoming session would be an important one for safety Kenny Phillips.

"Today is a big test for him," Davis said. "He's gonna see where he is."

Fifteen minutes later, Phillips took the field and was right where he has been most of training camp- on the sideline.

Phillips missed practice yet again on Wednesday with a quad injury, which flared up during Tuesday's practice. Davis said that Phillips did some work on Tuesday before going in once his quad started to bother him.

It's unclear if Phillips will play on Saturday in Jacksonville, but things certainly don't look promising- something that doesn't seem to be overly concerning to Davis.

"Nobody wants to get out on the field more than Kenny," said Davis. "Anybody that goes through the injury process, that doesn't get into the games or practices- it does make it harder to evaluate when you get less looks at the guy. But Kenny has got a lot of film on him and a lot of tape, so we'll have a good feel for him."

The Eagles knew the risk they were taking when they signed Phillips, who has missed nine games last season. His history of injuries is a big reason why his contract included zero guaranteed money. When healthy, however, Phillips is arguably the best safety on the roster.

"He's an experienced player, which helps- but not experienced in this system," Davis said.

The safety position is very much up in the air right now for the Eagles, with Nate Allen, Patrick Chung, Earl Wolff, Kurt Coleman and Phillips all battling for a starting spot. Despite his experience in the league, the reality is that the longer Phillips is out, the further behind he falls in that competition.

"Everybody is in the competition right now," Davis said. "As we go forward with these preseason games, as they play out and get out on the field, everyone has got a fair shot."

A shot that seems to be slipping away from Phillips the longer he remains on the sideline.


(nj.com)