Jason Kelce partially tears ACL; completely tears MCL

Jason Kelce suffered a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the Eagles said Monday.

The team has not yet ruled out the center for the season.

The Eagles have two options in terms of Kelce's recovery and timetable for return. They could allow the MCL tear to heal, which would take 4-6 weeks, and permit him to return with his injured knee braced. Or they could decide, after team physician Dr. Peter DeLuca examines the ACL Tuesday during a "diagnostic" arthroscopic surgery, to perform surgery and end Kelce's season.

"There is not a consensus across the country from sports medicine people," Eagles head trainer Rick Burkholder said.

The MCL tear has to heal before anything can be done with the ACL injury, Burkholder said.

Burkholder said there have been examples of other NFL players with similar injuries returning to play in the same season as their injuries.

"It's a mixed bag," he said. "Some people get it fixed right away, and some people just let the MCL heal and play with a partial" ACL tear.

Kelce injured his knee in the third quarter of Sunday's 24-23 win over the Ravens when a defender rolled over his leg. He left the game and was carted into the locker room. Dallas Reynolds replaced him and will start Sunday against the Cardinals, Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

The Eagles will have to wait until Kelce has his knee scoped before they can decide on whether to add another offensive linemen. Reid did not say who the backup center was, but guard Evan Mathis has practiced some at center.

If the team decides after Tuesday's scope that Kelce has a chance to play this season, they could place him on Injured Reserve and eventually activate him. The NFL enacted a rule change in August that allows each team the luxury to activate one player per season from the IR.

Either way, the Eagles should add an interior linemen to the roster sometime this week. They could try and grab Julian Vandervelde, their 2011 fifth-round draft pick, from the Tampa Bay practice squad. Or they could bring back Steve Vallos, who they cut along with Vandervelde before the season opener.