Eagles line gets thinner; Kelce could miss up to 2 months

Eagles center Jason Kelce needs surgery for a sports hernia, coach Chip Kelly confirmed on Monday.

Although Kelly did not offer a timetable for Kelce's return, the injury typically keeps a player out up to two months. Kelce left Sunday's 37-34 win over Washington in the third quarter.

"I don't have a level of concern," Kelly said. "Just tell us who we've got that is available to play, and let's go play."

Backup center David Molk will likely start in Kelce's place, although Kelly did not have concrete plans on Monday.

Molk, a former Michigan standout who was out of the NFL last season, signed with the Eagles in January. He played 46 snaps on Sunday.

"He's a competitor," Kelly said. "I think he's extremely quick off the ball; he really gets into the defender very quickly. He'll fight you. He's a tough, competitive guy in there, and he'll scrap and give you everything he's got. So, in the games he's gotten in, whether it be at guard or at center, I think he's really competed when he was out there."

Kelce, one of the NFL's top centers and an ideal fit for Kelly's offense, signed a six-year, $37.5 million contract during the offseason. He will become the fourth starting offensive lineman to miss time this season, after the Eagles started the same group all 17 games last season.

The Eagles, who visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, also are missing left guard Evan Mathis until November with a knee injury. Right tackle Lane Johnson has one game remaining on his four-game suspension, and reserve lineman Allen Barbre is out for the season with an ankle injury.

Offensive lineman Todd Herremans said that Kelce is "such a great communicator and so smart," so the Eagles will need to work on communication this week.

The center makes the offensive line calls in Kelly's system. Kelly said there were no communication issues when Molk entered Sunday's game, although Molk is not at Kelce's level because he lacks experience in the system.

"Molk's only been here a year, and Jason was here longer and through the whole system a year," Kelly said. "So obviously, Jason's ahead of him from that standpoint. But Molk's a smart football player and understands what's going on out there."

If Molk enters the lineup, the Eagles will not have a backup center. The question becomes whether they will make a roster move. Veteran guard Wade Smith, who signed with the Eagles in Week 2, was the emergency center on Sunday. He has played center, but it's not his natural position.

The Eagles have Josh Andrews on the practice squad. Andrews, an undrafted rookie out of Oregon State, played center in the preseason. If they were to sign him to the 53-man roster, the Eagles would need to open a roster spot. They will need to make a move next week to activate Johnson.

"You've got to trust the guys that are here," general manager Howie Roseman said on his radio show on WIP-FM (94.1). "Those guys are here for a reason."

Left tackle Jason Peters, the Eagles' top offensive lineman, was ejected from Sunday's game. Kelly does not anticipate any league discipline that would keep Peters out of the lineup against the 49ers.

"I haven't heard anything, but I don't think so," Kelly said. "I don't know if they do that."

The team could regain offensive lineman Matt Tobin, who has missed the first three games with an ankle injury. Tobin practiced last week but was still not ready to play. If he can play this week, he can contribute at guard or tackle.

"I don't know what the rest of the situation is, but we'll sit down and see where he is and where he fits in," Kelly said. "But he can play a couple . . . positions."

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