The Eagles are expecting to get some reinforcements on both sides of the ball in the playoffs.
The most impactful player who could return is right tackle Lane Johnson, who has not played since mid-November due to a foot injury. Swing tackle Fred Johnson has held up, but not excelled in his All-Pro teammate’s place.
Johnson practiced on Wednesday, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He would be a major boost to an Eagles offense that has sputtered in the second half of the season. After their Week 10 bye, Philly scored more than 2o points in just three of their last nine games. Those performances all came against a handful of the worst defenses in the league. Johnson would no doubt fortify the offensive line
On defense, the Eagles are expecting to have Nakobe Dean back in the wild card round; defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said as much on Tuesday (via The Athletic’s Zach Berman). Dean has been out since Week 15 due to a hamstring injury. He also missed the first five games as he completed his recovery from a January 2025 torn patellar tendon. In between, he posted a career-high four sacks in just 10 games, an impressive number for an off-ball linebacker. First-round pick Jihaad Campbell has started next to Zack Baun for the past few games and will likely slide back to the bench upon Dean’s return.
Philadelphia’s defense may also get outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari back on the field soon. He has been on injured reserve since the beginning of November and was designated to return on Wednesday, according to McLane. The fifth-year defender signed with the Eagles this offseason but was too far down the depth chart to play at the start of the year. After four healthy scratches, he finally got some game day action with both Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo landing on IR. Ojulari, however, only saw 32 snaps across three games before injuring his hamstring.