The Philadelphia Eagles came out of Sunday’s 25-14 home loss to the Carolina Panthers with three more names on an already long injury list: defensive tackle Jordan Davis was ruled out with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. left with a concussion before halftime, and running back Carson Steele did not return after hurting his shoulder in the first quarter.
The defeat was Philadelphia’s fourth in a row and dropped the team to 2-4. The new injuries landed on a roster that had already lost Jalen Hurts to injured reserve on Saturday and played without Saquon Barkley, left guard Landon Dickerson and two tight ends.
Davis was the last to go. Shortly after 4 p.m. EDT he limped toward the locker room, and Ashlyn Sullivan reported that he could put little weight on the ankle and needed members of the medical staff to help him off. The club ruled him out within minutes.
Injury Update: DT Jordan Davis (ankle) is out.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 18, 2026
Smith in the protocol, Steele downgraded
Smith was ruled out at 2:14 p.m. after being checked for a head injury. A concussion diagnosis means he must clear every step of the league’s return-to-play protocol, including sign-off from an independent neurologist, before he can practice fully or play again.
Steele, one of the backs carrying the load with Barkley sidelined, was first called questionable to return at 1:40 p.m. and was moved to out about 75 minutes later. His exit left Philadelphia with Dameon Pierce and Jaydon Blue, the practice squad back promoted to the 53-man roster on Saturday, and the ground game never got going against Carolina’s front.
Tanner McKee, starting in place of Hurts, threw a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith in Smith’s first game back from a hamstring injury, but Carolina pulled away behind Bryce Young’s two touchdown passes and a 120-yard rushing day from Chuba Hubbard.
What it means for the Cowboys game
Davis is the anchor of the interior run defense, and losing him would leave a heavy share of the snaps to the rest of a rotation that has already been stretched. Smith’s absence would thin an edge group that has been without Jalyx Hunt, with A.J. Epenesa limited by a back injury this week. The club has not given a timeline for any of the three players; the first clues will come from the practice report on Thursday.
The schedule offers one extra day: the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, October 26, at 8:15 p.m. EDT, so their first full practice should not come until Thursday. Before Sunday’s game, the full pregame list is in our Eagles injury report before the Panthers, and every club’s designations are on the NFL injuries page.
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