Eagles hopeful Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith can return against Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday he is hopeful that running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith can return from hamstring injuries for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

Their return would come at a critical moment. The Eagles have lost three straight and fell to 2-3 with Sunday’s 19-17 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, where an offense without both players managed 232 total yards and 22 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Head Coach Nick Sirianni speaks with the media. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/JdkxZtr5zG

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 12, 2026

Sirianni stressed that it is still very early in the week, according to Dave Zangaro, and neither player has been cleared. Mike Garafolo reported that the indications are at least one of the two, and possibly both, will have a chance to play against Carolina, depending on how their practice week goes.

Indications are one, if not both, DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley have a shot to return against the #Panthers, though the #Eagles have to see how the practice week goes. https://t.co/JbVwyvjNRq

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 12, 2026

Two hamstrings, two different timelines

Smith has now missed two games. His hamstring injury kept him out of the Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and Barkley hurt his own hamstring during that same game. Both were ruled out before the team flew to England, along with center Drew Kendall.

The running back situation is the more urgent one. Tank Bigsby is on injured reserve after core muscle surgery, and Will Shipley, who started in London, was reported on Monday to have partially torn the plantar fascia in his foot, an injury expected to cost him multiple weeks. After Shipley left, Dameon Pierce took every running back carry and gained 14 yards on 11 attempts. Our Shipley update has the details of that injury.

Without Smith, Jalen Hurts completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards in London. His one big strike was a 62-yard touchdown to Darius Cooper in the second quarter, and Dallas Goedert led the team with six catches for 38 yards.

Sirianni on the final kickoff

Sirianni also returned to the ending in London. Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal had put Philadelphia ahead 17-16 with eight seconds left, but Jacksonville returned the kickoff that followed and Cam Little won it from 57 yards as time expired. Jeff Skversky reported that Sirianni said he still regrets letting the Jaguars return that kick, while insisting there is no panic among his players and coaches after three straight losses.

The game is broken down in the Eagles-Jaguars Game Center, and every designation will appear on our NFL injury report once the week’s first report is issued.

What comes next

Carolina visits Philadelphia for a 1 p.m. EDT kickoff on Sunday, October 18. Wednesday’s practice report will offer the first official sign of whether Barkley and Smith are on track.