Having all those extra receivers doesn't seem so wasteful now.
Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday and is out for the foreseeable future, coach Andy Reid said.
Curtis sat out the last three games with his ailing knee, but magnetic resonance images conducted by the team over the last month did not reveal any structural damage. However, he received a second look last week in Logan, Utah, and doctors decided to perform the minor procedure in which small incisions are made.
"There wasn't too much in there that they had to work on," Reid said. "They just snipped a few little things in there, but it wasn't a major thing."
Reid said that he had no timetable for Curtis' return, but the coach could not say definitively if the seven-year pro was done for the season.
"I think time will tell here," he said.
The Eagles' offensive line, meanwhile, was dealt another setback. Guard Max Jean-Gilles was held out of most of yesterday's practice with a shoulder injury and was downgraded to questionable for tomorrow night's game at Washington. Guard Todd Herremans, who is coming back from foot surgery, and tackle Jason Peters, who sprained his left knee last week, are expected to start against the Redskins. Still, both were also listed as questionable on the official injury report.
Curtis' injury leaves the Eagles with just four available receivers. In the first game of the season the team had seven wideouts on its 53-man roster. But Hank Baskett was released the following week and rookie Brandon Gibson was traded to St. Louis on Tuesday.
"You kind of knew it couldn't last," receiver Reggie Brown said last week. "You couldn't keep that many people at the position. I guess they were in a tough spot when you have so much talent at the position."
Brown, who was inactive for the first two games of the season, will dress tomorrow as the fourth receiver behind starters DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and slot receiver Jason Avant. Brown, once a starter who has seen his star fall in Philadelphia, has only one catch for 4 yards this season.
"Right now I'm going in when my number's called and trying to execute the play to the best of my ability," Brown said. "If it so happens that I have a big game, then so be it. I have no clue if it's going to be this game or any other game."
The day after the promising Gibson was dealt, Brown said he realized he just as easily could have been traded. He was rumored to be on the block as teams cut down their rosters before the season. Still, even though playing for another team might have afforded him more opportunities, Brown said he was pleased his name wasn't called.
"Who wants to be traded?" he said.
Said Reid: "I'm proud of the way he's handled it, and he's worked very hard on putting himself in this position and getting an opportunity to play."
Curtis' injury has paved the way for Maclin, who will start his fourth consecutive game.
"I don't plan on giving it up," he said.
The rookie had a breakout game two weeks ago, catching six passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay. Last week at Oakland, however, he was held to just one reception for 6 yards.
Maclin wasn't the only offensive player to have a rough day in the Eagles' 13-9 loss to the Raiders. The patchwork line was partly responsible for six sacks. Jean-Gilles' inflamed right shoulder is just the latest obstacle for a unit that has been troubled by injuries.
Tackle Shawn Andrews was placed on injured reserve after the first game and is out for the season with a back injury. His brother, Stacy, is still recovering from off-season knee surgery and has hardly played. And Herremans missed the first five games of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot.
"It seems like it's just been that kind of year," Herremans said.
The left guard is back, though, and will start at his familiar spot. Nick Cole, who had filled in for Herremans, will move over and start at right guard, Reid said. The coach said that both guards could receive help from Andrews and Jean-Gilles, if he can go.
Herremans doesn't know what his breaking point might be, having not played this season, but he said he hopes his return will bring some stability to a line that has been in flux.
"Every backup on the team thinks they're better than the person in front of them," he said. "So obviously, I felt that when I come back I hoped it would be a big impact."
Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.
