Eagles call in reinforcements to take control of NFC East from Commanders

On paper, we're shaping up to get a second consecutive thrilling Thursday Night Football showdown in Week 11 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders!

Philadelphia will host Washington in a crucial clash with first place in the NFC East at stake. This may not be a "must-win" contest for either team (especially considering they meet again in roughly a month), but it's as close as possible. So, both sides will look to bring their A-game.

Thankfully, for the Eagles, that entails the impending return of stalwart left tackle Jordan Mailata.

On Wednesday, the Eagles announced that they activated Mailata from injured reserve (IR). Not only this, but he logged three full practices leading up to the colossal battle with the Commanders. All signs point toward the 27-year-old ending his four-game absence and rejoining his Philly teammates versus their divisional foes.

Eagles get LT Jordan Mailata back for crucial Commanders matchup

Mailata suffered a hamstring strain in the Eagles' Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns and has been out since. But his suiting up is welcomed news, particularly because he was reportedly uncertain about it on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper. Regardless, Philadelphia will be pleased to reinsert the blindside protector into the lineup against the Commanders.

Before going down, Mailata was playing at an exceptionally high level, demonstrated by his 88.4 overall Pro Football Focus grade. When healthy, he's proved worthy of every penny the Eagles gave him this offseason when they agreed to a three-year, $66 million contract extension.

An Eagles offense that's been firing on all cylinders lately will only get stronger with the addition of Mailata. His presence up front stabilizes their blocking unit, which has been the foundation of their success in recent seasons.

Washington's ability to pressure/sack Philadelphia franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts officially gets that much harder with Mailata in the picture. The latter makes life easier for the former, thus opening things up for the entire Eagles high-scoring group.

Typically, these early-week primetime matchups can be sloppy snoozefests, considering the lack of preparation time compared to normally playing on a Sunday. However, the Commanders and Eagles going toe-to-toe should be a doozy, and Mailata only adds to the intrigue.