Alonso out with concussion; Murray out with illness
The Eagles were without two of their most notable offseason additions for Thursday's practice.
Linebacker Kiko Alonso missed practice on Thursday with a concussion, leaving the Eagles without one of their top offseason acquisitions.
The Eagles said Alonso's concussion occurred during practice Tuesday at Lincoln Financial Field. He must go through the league's mandated five-step concussion protocol, including clearance from an independent neurologist.
The severity of the concussion is unknown. Recovery time varies, usually ranging from a few days to a few weeks. This is Alonso's first known concussion in the NFL.
The Eagles acquired Alonso, a 24-year-old former Oregon standout, in a March trade with the Buffalo Bills for LeSean McCoy. He has split time at inside linebacker this summer with DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks. Jordan Hicks, a third-round pick, saw more work with Alonso absent.
"Somebody goes down, everybody has to step up," Hicks said. "It adds to everybody's reps. I just see it as an opportunity, but again, I'm just trying to improve every single day. That's what the whole thing is about."
Coach Chip Kelly was not available to comment. He will speak to the media on Saturday.
The Eagles also were without running back DeMarco Murray, who did not attend practice because of an illness. The coaches kept him out of team drills during the first day of training camp because of poor hydration levels. In Murray's absence, Ryan Mathews spent more time with the first-team offense.
The Eagles will practice for the next three days before taking another day off on Monday. Then they will train each day until their preseason opener on Aug. 16 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Guarded optimism
The Eagles' search for a right guard could stretch into the late weeks of the preseason, which center Jason Kelce would not mind. Kelce said the Eagles must make sure they have the "right guy" before they solidify the spot and try to build chemistry.
Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner have mixed in with the first team and had experience as starters last year. John Moffitt, an offseason acquisition, spent time with the starters on Thursday. He started 15 games with Seattle in 2011 and 2012. Dennis Kelly and Kevin Graf are other options.
The Eagles know their other four starters, with Jason Peters at left tackle, Allen Barbre at left guard, Kelce at center, and Lane Johnson at right tackle.
"It's my opinion that the two tackles are the most important on the field for offensive line play," Kelce said. "If you can win at the two tackle positions, you can make up for a lot interior-wise. Allen Barbre is a tremendous player, we've known that for a long time here. We're excited that he's going to get an opportunity to prove that. And we'll figure that right guard spot out. I'm not worried about that at all."
Jesse Dougherty and Jeff McLane contributed to this story