Eagles Notes: McCoy says toe injury sidelined him on Sunday

LeSean McCoy returned to Eagles practice Monday after missing Sunday's training session because of an injured toe. McCoy said his left big toe was "real sore," and he tried playing through it in Friday's preseason loss at New England.

McCoy compared the injury to a "small version of turf toe." It bothered him to put pressure on it, he said.

"Today, I felt better, so I went for it," McCoy said. "I needed the work anyway, so I just finished practice."

McCoy said he hurt his toe last week during joint workouts with the Patriots. He also said he underwent an MRI exam and X-rays.

McCoy could play in Thursday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which would likely be the final time McCoy plays before the season begins on Sept. 7.

"If I'm feeling good, I'm going to go out there and play," McCoy said. "I hate to lose those reps. I may not need a lot of them, but there's stuff I can get better at."

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin participated in part of practice on Monday while recovering from a hamstring injury. The Eagles have a walk-through on Tuesday and a practice on Wednesday, and Maclin thinks he can play against Pittsburgh.

Cornerback Nolan Carroll (groin) practiced and appears in line to make his Eagles debut. Wide receiver Brad Smith (unknown injury), cornerback Jaylen Watkins (hamstring), and running back Chris Polk (hamstring) remained sidelined.

Neither wide receiver Josh Huff (shoulder) nor center Julian Vandervelde (back) was with the team at practice. Both have injuries that will keep them out this week.

Nate Allen and Earl Wolff remain in what defensive coordinator Bill Davis called a "very heated competition" for the second starting safety spot. Allen started both preseason games.

"I think they're both bringing different things to the party, and I think they're both playing pretty well right now," Davis said. "Nate is making a lot of good tackles for us and saving some plays, and I'm impressed with that. And Earl's throwing his body around and playing physical. It's a good competition."