Despite a scary incident last weekend that saw Josh Sweat transported to the hospital with a neck injury, the Eagles defensive end may not miss much time. During the “Inside The Birds” podcast, Adam Caplan said the defensive end could be back for Philly’s first playoff game.

“What we have heard is that the first playoff game is absolutely in play as of now,” Caplan said (via InsideTheBirds.com). “He’s just super sore. They’ll know in a series of days how he really feels. Everything checked out well.”

Naturally, coach Nick Sirianni was quick to note that the Eagles will operate with caution when it comes to Sweat’s return to the field. However, Sweat himself already added some optimism regarding his return when he tweeted that he’ll “be back this season.”

“We’ll take Josh one day at a time,” Sirianni said (via the team’s website). “I’m just really thankful that it wasn’t more serious there and I know everybody in that stadium was holding their breath because anytime that stretcher comes out, that’s tough to deal with. Josh was saying, ‘Hey, let me get up. I can get up.’ The doctors in that scenario have to make sure they go through all the right scenarios. I felt a little more at ease because of what Josh was saying out there.”

Sweat was carted off the field during the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to New Orleans following a headfirst collision into Saints fullback Adam Prentice. Sweat was on the ground for several minutes before being positioned onto a stretcher and carted off the field. He was later transported to the hospital before being released on Sunday, with the team reporting that Sweat had movement in all of his extremities.

The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay. He’s returned to have a career year for the Eagles, collecting career-highs in sacks (11), QB hits (23), and TFLs (15).

The Eagles once again failed to lock up the top spot in the NFC today, and they are facing injury questions with another key player. Defensive end Josh Sweat was unavailable for much of the contest against the Saints due to a neck injury which required him to be taken to hospital.

Sweat suffered the injury while making a tackle on New Orleans fullback Adam Prentice, but was motionless on the field immediately after the play and for several minutes afterward. ESPN’s Tim McManus notes that Sweat was carted off the field and taken to hospital as a result of the injury. Not long after he arrived, a team announcement indicated that he had movement in all of his extremities.

The hospital evaluation was deemed precautionary, the Eagles also stated. Per the latest update, he will be released later tonight, an encouraging sign for Sweat. The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay.

Sweat managed one sack before having to exit the loss to the Saints, and the Eagles totaled seven on the day. Philadelphia led the league in that department entering Week 17, in no small part due to the former fourth-rounder’s contributions. He had posted a career-high 11 sacks before today, which saw him record at least one for the sixth consecutive game. Sweat has also set new personal marks in tackles for loss (15) and quarterback hits (23).

That continues to represent a sold return on investment for the Eagles, given the three-year extension they signed him to last fall. The Florida State alum was named a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021, and has once again been a full-time starter on the edge after operating in a rotational role for his first three seasons in the league. Philadelphia would sorely miss his production if he were to miss next week’s regular season finale (a game which, given this afternoon’s events, still has meaning for the NFC leaders) or any playoff action. Further updates will be worth watching for given his importance to the Eagles as they prepare for a potential Super Bowl run.

Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat will miss the club’s wildcard game against the Bucs this afternoon. Per a team statement, Sweat was dealing with a life-threatening medical situation earlier this week, and while he is on the mend and was hoping to play, he has not yet recovered quite enough to return to game action.

The statement reads as follows:

“On Tuesday night, Josh Sweat was admitted to the hospital. He underwent an emergency procedure due to the severity. The doctors addressed a life-threatening situation. In the following days, Josh and our medical team did everything possible to help him return. He improved every day but it was determined by the doctors today that he was not quite ready. The fact that Josh came so close to playing is a credit to his toughness and our medical staff.”

It’s unclear exactly what the emergency was, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes that head coach Nick Sirianni said during the week that Sweat was dealing with an abdominal issue (Twitter link). Obviously, Sweat’s health is the most important thing here, but his presence will be sorely missed against Tampa Bay’s stout offensive front, and it will make it even more difficult for the underdog Eagles to pull off the upset.

Philadelphia handed Sweat a lucrative extension back in September, and he rewarded the club with a season that saw him post career-highs in starts (13), tackles (45), and sacks (7.5). He finished as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best edge defender out of 113 qualifiers.

If the Eagles are able to advance to the divisional round, it sounds like Sweat would have a good chance of suiting up.