There were the usual pangs of fear and loathing when Eagles linebacker Marcus Smith was carted off the field this week at practice with a hamstring injury. They received great news, however, after doctors revealed a tweak rather than a tear.
But they'll still be without him for some time. The team confirmed on Friday that Smith will miss the next two to three weeks of the preseason, though should be available to play when the Eagles open the regular season at Atlanta.
"I'm glad it wasn't anything major," defensive coordinator Bill Davis said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's disappointing, probably to him more than anybody. He was really taking some growth steps and coming along, and now he's got a setback."
The question remains, however, of whether or not the Eagles will notice his absence. There's little disagreement that Smith, a first-round selection in 2014, was a complete bust in his first time on an NFL field. Facing 63 defensive snaps, he failed to collect a single tackle.
Philadelphia is shifting into Plan-B mode in the outside linebacking department lately. They lost a promising contender for the position when Travis Long tore his ACL for the second time in as many years. Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham are inked in as the starters, and Davis mentioned that defensive end/pass rusher Vinny Curry has been looking at time in the position.
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