Eagles' Haason Reddick Diagnosed with Thumb Injury; Not Expected to Miss Week 1

The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly will have one of their best defensive players available for their Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots despite a thumb injury.

According to EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, linebacker Haason Reddick suffered a thumb injury that is not seen as "serious" and is not expected to keep him sidelined for the Week 1 game.

This isn't the first issue for Reddick during preparation for the season, as Glenn Erby of USA Today's Eagles Wire noted he dealt with a groin injury at the start of training camp.

His expected availability for the start of the season is welcome news for the Eagles, as their front seven figures to be among the league's best in large part because of his presence. Philadelphia signed him ahead of the 2022 campaign, and he turned in a career year as a first-time Pro Bowler.

Reddick finished the season with 49 tackles, 16 sacks, a league-best five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three passes defended.

He was particularly dominant in the NFC Championship Game victory over the San Francisco 49ers with two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The Eagles have two preseason games and close to a month remaining until the regular season starts, so they have time to rest Reddick in an effort to make sure he is ready to go when the games begin to count in the standings.

That should give rookie Nolan Smith more opportunities at different positions during practices and the upcoming preseason contests, which will help the first-round pick from Georgia see the field earlier in his career.