Herremans Placed On IR, Mathis Activated

The Eagles welcome back an All-Pro guard to the lineup, but unfortunately the season is over for the team’s longest-tenured player.

Evan Mathis was activated from the Injured Reserve – Designated for Return list on Wednesday morning, but to make room for him the Eagles placed guard Todd Herremans on the Injured Reserve list. Herremans suffered a biceps injury in the loss to Arizona, but bravely and courageously battled in the win over the Texans only to exit the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Herremans was the team’s fourth-round pick in 2005 as both he and linebacker Trent Cole (fifth-round pick in ’05) have been on the team longer than any other player.

Mathis, meanwhile, has participated in the team’s training sessions in the past few weeks after suffering an MCL sprain in the season opener against Jacksonville. Mathis was confident that he would be able to return to the field for the Monday night game against Carolina, but was not eligible to return from the IR-DFR list until this week.

The Eagles again have four out of the five starters from the 2013 offensive line that led the league in rushing and helped set franchise records for total yards and points. However, the Eagles will not have all five together this season with Herremans on Injured Reserve. Second-year guard Matt Tobin played in Mathis’ absence and will be in the mix to take Herremans’ spot. Andrew Gardner filled in at right guard during the second half of the win Sunday against the Texans.

In the Eagles’ last three games, the team has gained 503 yards on the ground. Mathis earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in his career in 2013.