Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly told reporters Wednesday that inside linebacker Kiko Alonso is dealing with a sprained knee. Alonso’s status for the Eagles’ Week 3 matchup against the New York Jets is uncertain, though the team will continue to evaluate his progress.
Kiko Alonso has sprained knee, according to Eagles coach Chip Kelly
The linebacker’s status is still up in the air.
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Earlier in the week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Alonso would miss time due to a partially torn ACL, but that he’d seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews to find out if he can play again this season.
On Tuesday, the Eagles signed Najee Goode to help with linebacker depth. Both Alonso and linebacker Mychal Kendricks exited the Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys with injuries, though Kendricks could be back for the game against the Jets.
Immediate reports following Alonso’s injury suggested it wasn’t serious, and then other reports said he could miss an extended amount of time, perhaps the entire season.
Even if he does return to the field this season, it’s a disappointing development for Alonso and the Eagles. The team made a huge trade this offseason, sending LeSean McCoy, one of the league’s top running backs, to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Alonso. It was considered a risky move as Alonso was coming off a torn ACL that forced him out of the entire 2014 season.
Alonso is quickly gaining the “injury prone” label. He dealt with injuries throughout training camp and missed time in the preseason as well. The missed action in the preseason was due to a “nagging” knee injury, which is significant given the injury he’s coming off of.
When healthy, Alonso can put up huge numbers and be a dominant force in the middle of the defense. He recorded 159 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and four interceptions playing in all 16 games for the Bills as a rookie. A second-round pick in 2013, Alonso was frequently mentioned as a Pro Bowl snub after his first season. It’s potentially a big loss for the struggling Eagles.
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