PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles got two key pieces back on the field Thursday. Second-year running back Will Shipley returned to practice on a limited basis after missing time with an oblique strain, and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) saw limited action for the second straight day.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulder) was a full participant. Defensive tackle Byron Young missed Thursday with a forehead laceration.

Goedert, who sat out the Week 2 win in Kansas City, said this week he’s trending the right way. “Got out there again. Felt really good… Still taking it day by day,” he said, adding that he “tried to convince them to let me play last week.”

Shipley’s return matters with the Los Angeles Rams (2-0) visiting Sunday. The 23-year-old, who had an impressive training camp, missed the Chiefs game after exiting in Week 1 with what the club termed an oblique injury and did not practice until Thursday. He was the only Eagle to miss Wednesday’s session entirely. By Thursday, he joined Goedert and backup quarterback Tanner McKee (thumb) in the limited group.

Carter has been dealing with a shoulder issue since early summer. He was ejected from the opener against Dallas after spitting on Dak Prescott but had a solid performance against the Chiefs with two tackles and three quarterback pressures.

“He had some good rushes. I think he still needs to round into better shape,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He and I talked about that, and he readily admits that, and we can get more. But I thought that for everything that has gone on in his world, I thought he played pretty good.”

Carter acknowledged he has “catching up to do” in practice: “Just being a week behind… I’m a week behind with everybody in the room.”

The Eagles were encouraged by the Week 2 performance of veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, signed nine days earlier after Detroit released him in the spring. The 33-year-old had four tackles, a half-sack and a QB pressure.

“I thought for coming in on such short notice, he made some good plays,” Fangio said. “Obviously, he can get a lot better too, which I think he will, with gaining more knowledge of what we’re doing.”

Sunday’s opponent makes the Eagles’ injury trajectory more urgent. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams bring the league’s most precise timing game and a wideout duo in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams that stresses every coverage. Coach Nick Sirianni called it “a challenge we’ll have to be ready for,” highlighting Nacua’s strength, Tutu Atwell’s speed and the detail in Sean McVay’s scheme.

Recent history between these teams is fresh and instructive. The Eagles gashed Los Angeles last November, 37–20, at SoFi Stadium behind Saquon Barkley’s 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns, A.J. Brown adding six catches for 109 yards and a score. Hurts was 15 of 22 for 179 yards, and the defense sacked Stafford five times.

Eight weeks later, in a snowy January divisional playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field, Barkley ripped TD runs of 62 and 78 yards and finished with 205 on the ground in a 28–22 victory. Carter’s late third-down sack helped close it out.

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Sirianni kept the offense’s emphasis clear: Protect the ball and chase explosives without forcing them.

“You can still be protecting the football,” he said. Explosive plays “are not just in the passing game; they’re in the running game, and they’re in the screen game as well.” He added that the staff won’t overreact to a two-game sample, saying “there’s a progression to it.”

Sirianni also praised an offensive line that has kept Jalen Hurts clean early. He lauded the group for processing un-scouted looks and “winning the game up front,” adding that the ability to “think on the fly” has driven steadiness, though right tackle Lane Johnson admitted the unit needs to perform better as a whole.

If Goedert is back, the Eagles can diversify a lackluster intermediate passing game. Goedert could have provided outlets for Hurts under the Chiefs’ pressure last week.

As for short yardage — yes, there’s renewed chatter about banning the tush push — it’s not exactly top of mind at NovaCare Complex.

“We don’t have to deal with it right now,” Sirianni said. “We’re always working to improve the play.”

Around the league, the noise hasn’t died down. Former coach Jon Gruden defended the tactic, arguing the outcry misplaces blame. “Why don’t they just outlaw the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line?” he quipped, invoking Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen to make the point that execution — not the rulebook — separates success from failure.

Mailata, for his part, didn’t mince words earlier in the week.

“I just think it’s rubbish. Absolute rubbish, man. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it,” he told 94-WIP FM, about people saying it’s “not a football play.” He added that it’s “incredibly disrespectful” to reduce wins to a single short-yardage call given how defense and special teams have delivered.

With Shipley trending up and Goedert stacking days on the field, the Eagles’ offense is closer to whole. They’ll need it as they prepare for a Rams front that will test them and a Stafford-led passing game that demands discipline.

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NOTES: The Rams are dealing with injuries of their own. They are monitoring guard Steve Avila (ankle) and defensive end Braden Fiske (oblique). Stafford’s back, which severely limited him in camp, is always a question mark. … Sirianni is 3-0 against the Rams with the Eagles. … The Rams beat Tennessee 33-19 last week after a 14-9 win over Houston to open their season. They are two of six 2-0 teams in the NFC, three of them in the NFC West.

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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.

Originally Published: September 18, 2025 at 7:58 PM EDT