Eagles left guard Isaac Seumalo will be out ‘for the foreseeable future’ with knee injury

For the first few days after Eagles left guard Isaac Seumalo went down with a left knee injury 25 snaps into Sunday’s loss to the Rams, it seemed Seumalo would be back pretty soon.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson made a point Monday of saying Seumalo was being placed on “short-term IR,” a reference to the rules change this year that allows players to return from injured reserve in as little as three weeks.

On Wednesday, though, Pederson changed his estimate, without providing details.

“He’s gonna miss, probably, a little more than three weeks. His is a little more significant,” Pederson said. He was asked whether Seumalo would undergo surgery but did not answer. “I think he’s going to be down for the foreseeable future here.”

Matt Pryor played the final 46 snaps for Seumalo. Asked whether that is the plan going forward, Pederson indicated that Nate Herbig, who has played the first two games at right guard, could move to left guard, with Pryor moving to the right, or backups Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta could be in the mix.

Pederson also mentioned Jamon Brown, the veteran guard the Eagles acquired from the Bears' practice squad last week. “We’ve just got to find the best five and the best fit this week, coming out of practice,” he said.

Seumalo, a third-round pick in 2016, has been the starter at left guard since midway through the 2018 season.

Javon Hargrave made his Eagles debut Sunday, after missing training camp and Week 1 with hamstring and pectoral injuries.

The Eagles signed Hargrave in the offseason to a three-year contract worth up to $39 million, with hopes that he would flourish in the team’s defensive scheme. Hargrave was asked to read and react as a 3-4 nose tackle during his first four years in the Pittsburgh Steelers' base defense. The Eagles give their defensive linemen a one-gap responsibility that allows them to come off the ball with intensity instead of waiting to read the defense and fill a gap.

Hargrave said the adjustment will take him some time, but he’s confident it won’t take too long.

“It’s definitely different,” Hargrave said. “You know how I played in Pittsburgh for four years, so it ain’t gonna take a long time, but I just need to get some reps under my belt, and I feel like I’ll pick up it quickly, and I’m gonna just start progressing [with] more reps."

Hargrave, who didn’t start Sunday, could be in for a bigger role n Game 3, depending on Fletcher Cox’s status. Cox didn’t practice Wednesday because of an oblique injury suffered against the Rams. He played through the injury, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to go again this weekend.

Hargrave said Cox’s and Malik Jackson’s presence have helped him prepare on short notice.

“Having guys like Malik and Fletch and all the vets, it’s just so easy to come in and start to pick up, and just learning how they play and being able to pick up fast,” he said. “So I’m just proud to be around a group of guys like that that [been] through them hard times and being in them trenches and won Super Bowls. So I just pick their brain and listen to whatever they tell me.”

Cox was one of seven players to miss practice Wednesday, although Malik Jackson and DeSean Jackson both had rest days. Rudy Ford (groin), Jalen Reagor (thumb), and Alshon Jeffery (foot) missed the session. Corey Clement also missed practice because of an illness. Jason Kelce and Jason Peters were limited for rest, and Lane Johnson was limited with the ankle injury that hobbled him in Week 1.