PHILADELPHIA - It didn't look good when Jalyx Hunt's left leg got bent backward, and he landed on it during the final play of the first half in London on Sunday. It wasn't.
"It'll be pretty miraculous for Jalyx to play this week," said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on Tuesday as the Eagles begin preparation to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
It sounds, however, like Hunt could be pushing to make a miracle happen.
"He's gonna be pushing the envelope and making the medical people clear him," said Fangio. "He's not gonna be one of those guys that's gonna be hesitant to come back."
Hunt stayed down on the field after the injury, as players and coaches exited through the tunnels at halftime. A cart was brought out to help him, but he chose to be helped off, leaning on two members of the training staff and keeping weight off his injured leg.
Fangio's comment about pushing the envelope to play could be read as a shot at Jonathan Greenard. Listed as questionable heading into Week 5 against the Jaguars, Greenard tried to test his injured ankle before kickoff at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The team's trainers and Howie Roseman met with Greenard in the end zone, and the outside linebacker looked to be shaking his head back and forth, seemingly indicating he wouldn't be able to play.
So, he missed yet another game, and he has played in just two of the team's five games this season.
"Hopefully he'll be ready to go this week, but we gotta see," said Fangio.
Oct 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (3) reacts against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If he can't, and Hunt doesn't create a miracle, the Eagles' edge group will be down to Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie, and A.J. Epenesa. The Eagles also have Mason Reiger and Joshua Weru on the practice squad.
Reiger, who played at Louisville, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Miami Dolphins after the draft, but was released with an injury. Weru had a nice preseason, but he had never played football until signing with the Eagles via the NFL's International Pathway Program. Growing up in Kenya, Weru played rugby.
Neither player, however, are Hunt or Greenard.
Hunt has yet to unleash the potential he showed during training camp in August and is looking for his first sack. Still, he is good at providing pressure on a quarterback and setting an edge in the run game.
Greenard was acquired in the offseason to replace Jaelan Phillips, whom the Eagles tried to re-sign in free agency, but he instead chose a better deal with the Panthers. Phillips has sacks in back-to-back games and has played 70 percent of the defensive snaps for Carolina.
"Greenard was gonna take a lot of (Phillips' playing time and production), and unfortunately, he got hurt in our weight room before training camp started, missed all of camp, missed the first few games," said Fangio. "Just started practicing and then got the ankle injury. So that was gonna be a big piece of it."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as Eagles Edge Hopes Hinging on Jalyx Hunt 'Miracle' and Jonathan Greenard Return .
