The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a big blow on Monday, losing JaCorey Shepherd with a torn ACL.
The Philadelphia Eagles made headlines when they opted to trade cornerback Brandon Boykin to the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 1st. At the time, the team was looking at potentially using 6th-round pick JaCorey Shepherd to fill his shoes.
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Well, that plan may have hit a snag.
Shepherd went down with an apparent knee injury during Sunday’s practice at Lincoln Financial Field and the team has announced that the rookie suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The injury will cost Shepherd the entire season and now puts the Eagles in a tough position, looking for help in the secondary right at the beginning of training camp.
A sixth-round pick this offseason out of Kansas, the Jayhawks product had looked good in early workouts and was seen as being a major piece in replacing Boykins in the Eagles’ secondary. In three seasons in Kansas, Shepherd had five interceptions (one for a touchdown), 30 passes defended, and 90 tackles. He was a first-team, all-Big 12 selection as a senior and draft scouts praised his ability to play the ball in coverage.
The intention was to break Shepherd in during nickel packages. The Eagles will look outside the organization for help, but may also give Jaylen Watkins, Nolan Carroll, and Walter Thurmond a chance to take the job.
ACL injuries have apparently become a thing in Philadelphia already this season, with the Eagles also losing linebacker Travis Long earlier this week after he re-tore the ACL in his left knee. Long had just returned to practice after missing all of last season with a tear in the same ACL during camp in 2014. Shepherd suffered his while colliding with running back Darren Sproles on Sunday.
The injury to Shepherd will certainly have many second-guessing the decision to trade Boykins for a future draft pick. Boykin was coming off a down year in 2014, when he didn’t start any of the 16 games he appeared in, accumating 36 tackles, one interception, and nine passes defended. That was a far cry from the 42 tackles, six interceptions, and 17 passed defended during his sophomore season in 2013.
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