PHILADELPHIA – Jaire Alexander’s return to Green Bay won’t happen. The cornerback was ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Packers on Sunday and won’t even make the trip to Lambeau Field.
The Eagles are listing Alexander’s status as a knee/coach’s decision. Alexander and a seventh-round pick in 2027 was acquired last Monday from the Ravens in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Before joining the Ravens as a free agent, Alexander spent the first seven years of his career with the Packers, who drafted him 18th overall in 2018.
The understanding is that Alexader is still adjusting to the Eagles’ defensive system ad the team wanted to give him more time to have his knee heal.
Two things about that:
Eagles recently-acquired cornerback Jaire Alexander (18) practices with his new team for the first time on Thursday. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI
-Sauce Gardner had no trouble adjusting to the Colts’ system in just four days when the Colts got him in a blockbuster deal with the Jets at the trade deadline. Gardner played most of the game in Indy’s overtime win over the Falcons in Berlin on Sunday morning.
Asked earlier in the week how long it takes to learn a new system, Alexander said: “I think it’s just more so getting some plays I’m familiar with and once I get the plays I’m familiar with then we can build on that. I’m here all day, so I’m learning.”
-Alexander also said earlier in the week that he felt fine physically. He had knee surgery last December and didn’t play in the Ravens’ five previous game before being traded. His game conditioning could also be a factor, which would make the situation somewhat similar to what the Eagles did with Brandon Graham.
“This is the best I felt,” said Gardner, adding that he began to feel his best heading into Week 4. With this being Week 10, that was six weeks ago
Graham unretired Oct. 21 and did not play in his first game back, which was against the Giants on Oct. 26.
The Eagles will still have eight games left to play this season and are perhaps simply erring on the side of caution to make sure Alexander is at 100 percent both physically and in Vic Fangio’s scheme before putting him on the field.
Where that leaves the Eagles at the outside cornerback aftter Quinyon Mitchell is unclear.
They could stay with Kelee Ringo or use Adoree Jackson, who is out of concussion protocol. The Eagles could also use Michael Carter in the slot in Fangio’s nickel packages with Cooper DeJean, who plays outside in the base defense, staying outside when those package are called for in the game.
Given the hesitancy to use Alexander, the Eagles may not feel comfortable with putting Carter in a big role until he can adjust to the system. But it isn’t Carter who is staying in Philadelphia for the game, the way Alexander is.
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