Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery sidelined for second consecutive practice

Alshon Jeffery needed more than just one day off for his ailing shoulder.

Jeffery, the Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver,  missed his second consecutive day of practice on Wednesday with a shoulder injury. Coach Doug Pederson made it seem as if Jeffery's absence on Tuesday was simply to rest his shoulder and get younger players involved in the offense, so another day on the sideline was notable. He watched practice with teammates and caught balls on the side.

Jeffery fell on the shoulder during practice on Saturday. He returned to practice that day, and he was a full participant on Sunday. The Eagles did not practice on Monday, and Jeffery has not participated the past two days.

There's no known reason yet to be alarmed. The Eagles are back at practice on Thursday with a session that will include live contact, and their first preseason game is on Aug. 10.

The Eagles signed Jeffery to a one-year, $9.5 million contract in March. He missed four games last season because of a performance-enhancing substance suspension. He missed seven games in 2015 because of injuries, but they were all lower-body injuries — calf, hamstring, and groin.

Running backs LeGarrette Blount and Donnel Pumphrey also were absent for the second consecutive day. Blount was excused from the team for personal reasons. Pumphrey tweaked a hamstring on Sunday.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith returned to practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday's session because of back spasms. Wide receiver Paul Turner was absent because of a shoulder injury.

Quarterback Nick Foles (elbow), defensive tackle Elijah Qualls (groin), defensive end Alex McCalister (hamstring), and guard Josh Andrews (hand) remain sidelined with previously reported injuries.

Every day of training camp, the Eagles' cornerback competition is on display and the concern about the position does not go away.

And every day, Sidney Jones is watching from the sideline.

Jones, the team's second-round pick, is out with a torn Achilles tendon that dropped him down a round in April's draft. He might be the most talented cornerback on the Eagles' roster, and he might not play a down this season.

What's Jones getting out of watching practice each day?

"Tired legs," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz joked.

Schwartz admitted "it's a tough situation" for Jones. Training camp is a grind for any player, with all the meetings and season preparation in addition to the practices. Jones can take part in everything except practice, but even the meetings can be a challenge because he doesn't get to apply the team-wide corrections on the field.

"It's harder when you're not the one on the film," Schwartz said. "He has a tough job. He's been very good at staying up on things. This is what we told him: At some point, he's going to play. Who knows when it's going to be? We don't know. But his job is to be mentally ready when he's physically ready. When he's physically ready, he can't go, 'Now it's time to get mentally ready.' He has to stay ready and do that stuff. It's tough duty."

The Eagles waived/injured cornerback Randall Goforth after the undrafted rookie tore an anterior cruciate ligament. If Goforth goes unclaimed, he will revert to the Eagles' injured reserve. The Eagles opened a spot on their 90-man roster by making this move.