Eagles' Todd Herremans lost for season with a foot injury

And then there was one.

The Eagles lost another offensive lineman for the season when Todd Herremans was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, two days after he dislocated the cuboid bone in his right foot.

The dislocation resulted in the cracking of other bones and ligament and tendon damage to the foot. It's an injury that Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said was rare in sports.

"The best way I can describe it to you [is] if you have a jigsaw puzzle and those pieces fit together real nicely. But if you put force on one side and one of those pieces pops out, it kind of takes the cardboard with it," Burkholder said. "That's kind of what happened to that bone."

Burkholder said that the Eagles do not consider the injury career-threatening and that Herremans would make a full recovery before training camp next summer. The 30-year-old tackle will have to wear a protective boot for the next eight weeks unless it is decided he needs surgery.

"We're gathering information and seeing whether other surgeons in the country recommend surgery," Burkholder said. "Our docs are leaning against surgery right now because they had him under [anesthesia] last night and tried to pop that bone out, and it doesn't move."

It was expected that Herremans would miss a significant amount of time after his injury in the first quarter of Monday night's 28-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. A magnetic resonance image revealed the dislocation on Tuesday, and a CT scan was done the following day to make sure the bones remained aligned.

With Herremans out, the Eagles have only one starter from last season's starting line - left guard Evan Mathis.

"It's a little weird," Mathis said. "It's like a Final Destination kind of thing. Hopefully, I don't get hit by a bus."

Left tackle Jason Peters ruptured his Achilles tendon in March and is likely done for the season. Center Jason Kelce tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee Sept. 16 and is done for the year. Right guard Danny Watkins has missed the last two games with an ankle injury.

Watkins said his ankle felt better, but he didn't practice Wednesday. Dennis Kelly has started in his place the last two games and is likely to be there again Sunday when the Eagles host the 3-5 Cowboys.

Demetress Bell filled in for Herremans in New Orleans, but King Dunlap was switched from left to right tackle to protect quarterback Michael Vick's blind side. Bell will go back to his natural position on the left.

"That's all I've ever played," Bell said.

Julian Vandervelde was signed off the practice squad to take Herremans' spot on the 53-man roster. He provides depth at guard and at center, along with Matt Tennent, behind starter Dallas Reynolds.

The offensive line has struggled all season. Vick has already been sacked 27 times in eight games, five more times than all of last season.

"I've just to got to believe in the guys in front of me and do whatever it takes to get the ball out, whether I've got to slide, I've got to move, break contain," Vick said. "Regardless of what, just continue to maintain trust in them."

Herremans, who started in his 100th career game Monday, has missed only five starts because of injury. He sat out until Week 6 of the 2009 season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. The foot remained an issue the following offseason, but he didn't miss a game because of injury over the next two seasons.

Along with Watkins, running back LeSean McCoy (illness), safety David Sims (foot), and running back Chris Polk (ankle) did not practice. . . . Safety Nate Allen (hamstring) was a full participant after sitting out the Saints game. He said he made the call not to play because he didn't want to hinder the team. . . . With depth concerns, the Eagles brought back undrafted rookie Phillip Thomas and signed him to the practice squad. The Eagles released defensive tackle Frank Trotter to make room, but he was brought back hours later after Vandervelde was promoted. . . . Wide receiver Mardy Gilyard (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game. . . . Defensive end Darryl Tapp's wife, Tiffany, gave birth to their first child, a girl, Tuesday. Tapp was excused from traveling with the team for the Saints game.