Trent Cole Injury: Eagles' Lack of Depth Will Doom Dream Season

The Philadelphia Eagles did not expect their dream to turn into a nightmare just four weeks into the season. Just four weeks, and it seems that the NFL’s Dream Team has turned into something from Nightmare on Elm Street.  

The NFL is notorious for rewarding teams who can reload after suffering injuries during a season. Injuries are a part of the game and happen to every team. It’s why when the Eagles signed and traded for two corner backs and a back up quarterback, the term Dream Team was scoffed at.  

Actually, Dream Team wasn’t given to this team from a person in the media or any of the starters on offense or defense. It was a title deemed by one of their free agent signings, a backup quarterback and a guy who scored a 16 on his Wonderlic Test, Vince Young.  

From his sound bite from his locker room stall, it put this team on a crash course to fail.  

Now, after this injury to defensive end Trent Cole, it puts another injury on an already growing list of injured Eagles.  

The Eagles already are dealing with injuries to left tackle Jason Peters, quarterback Michael Vick and defensive tackle Antonio Dixon. This injury to Cole puts him on another growing list of defensive ends with Jaqua Parker and Darryl Tapp.  

The injury to Vick didn’t seem to slow down last season’s team MVP yesterday against the San Francisco 49ers, as he threw for 416 yards while rushing for 75 yards and accounting for two touchdowns for the Eagles in a loss to the 49ers yesterday.  

But it’s the injury to Cole that has him sitting out for the next two to three weeks that will submarine their “Dream” season.  

With Cole’s abstance due to this calf strain and their lack of depth at the defensive end position, it has the Eagles' front seven as one of the worst in football.  

The next three weeks has the Eagles heading on the road to Buffalo and Washington, two teams that are 3-1 on the season. With Cole out against Buffalo, it will give Bills’ Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick enough time to find holes in the Eagles’ secondary.  

With Cole out against Washington and with the Eagles already having a bad crop of linebackers, it will make for a field day for Washington’s three headed monster at running back: Ryan Torain, Tim Hightower and Roy Helu.  

Luckily for the Eagles, they have a bye week and should have Cole back for the second half of the season. But by then, it may be too late for the Eagles to salvage this season. 

Twitter: @tjmcaloon