Early indications aren’t promising for Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Maclin is getting an MRI on his injured right leg. “It doesn’t look good,” the source said, but that’s without knowing the results of the MRI.
Jordan Rannan of NJ.com reports that Maclin fears he tore his ACL. Other reports indicate concerns of an MCL tear, which would not be as severe as an ACL tear.
Meanwhile, the Eagles apparently are guarding against the potentially protracted absence of Maclin by adding a new receiver. But he’s not “new"; he finished his college career more than six years ago.
The Eagles have announced that former New Hampshire receiver Dave Ball has been added to the 90-man roster.
Ball, 29, played for Eagles coach Chip Kelly at New Hampshire, where Kelly served as offensive coordinator. Ball broke Jerry Rice’s Division I-AA record for receiving touchdowns, with 58. Ball finished only 38 yards behind Rice with 3,955 receiving yards.
But Ball’s NFL career didn’t go nearly as far. He spent limited time with the Bears (2007) and Jets (2007-08) before bouncing around Cananda. Most recently, he played in 2011 for the Pittsburgh Power and then the Erie Explosion.
UPDATE 3:50 p.m. ET: Ball’s arrival apparently was unrelated to Maclin’s injury, even though the move wasn’t announced until after Maclin went down. Regardless, the Eagles may need Ball a bit more than they did earlier in the day.