The Philadelphia Eagles are relatively healthy for the season opener on Monday night as they head in to Atlanta to play the Falcons.
The Eagles are completely healthy, with the exception of tight end Zach Ertz (Groin) and outside linebacker Marcus Smith (hamstring).
Prior to Friday's practice, head coach Chip Kelly said he will determine the availability of both players after Sunday's training session.
On a good note, neither player has experienced any setbacks during the recovery process.
"But they haven't had any issues when we're thinking 'hey, we've got to back off of them,' " Kelly said. "We haven't made any determinations on those guys, just like we do every preseason game and every regular season game until that final training session holds up."
Ertz suffered a core muscle injury early in training camp, which required surgery on Aug. 14.
Ertz says the injury has plagued him since his rookie season, but he has managed to play through it. He hopes to be ready for the game against the Falcons, but he understands that the NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint.
"I don't want to miss any games," Ertz said on Wednesday. "I worked so hard all offseason to be ready for the games and make an impact for this team, so when the games come around, if I have an opportunity to play I'm going to play. Obviously, we have to be smart with it because it's the first game of a long season."
Prior to week two of the preseason, Smith suffered a hamstring injury during joint-practices with the Baltimore Ravens.
As Kelly said, his status will be declared after Sunday.
For those who might be worried about kicker Cody Parkey, Kelly says that he has been kicking very well this week.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
