PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles went 4-0 with Jordan Mailata on the sideline. Really, they went 5-0 after they beat the Browns when he limped off with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve last month.
The left tackle was hesitant to say he would play Thursday night when the Eagles host the Washington Commanders, but it became official a day later when Mailata was added to the 53-man roster on Wednesday evening.
The spot was open after the team released Jack Stoll on Tuesday. Stoll was claimed by the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.
Perhaps Mailata's return is a bit of a surprise since it’s a short work week and the Eagles have a mini-bye coming out of Thursday night, not having to play until the following Sunday when they head west to play the Los Angeles Rams.
Mailata, though, is ready, even though the team has been through just three walkthrough practices this week.
“I think it’s more of a mental rep,” said Mailata, who is 6-8, 380 pounds and considered one of the top players at his position in the league. “When you’re out there in the walkthroughs, you have to go at a speed that falls in with everybody else but also just getting the right technique down and understanding your role on that play.
“The amount of reps we do for walkthrough helps a lot to prepare you for a game. That’s what I did. Then we did rehab and that’s where I push, coming in here and pushing just to get in condition.”
Mailata said on Tuesday that he would know if he was ready after more walkthrough reps in order to, he said, “knock the rust off.”
