Jonathan Greenard’s torn pec is becoming a bigger problem than the Philadelphia Eagles initially hoped. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio delivered the latest update, and it’s not great. We probably won’t see Greenard for at least a couple more weeks. That’s a very loose timeline, and if you ask me, I personally do not see a way he starts the season at this point.

There’s a chance Greenard starts the season on injured reserve with a designation to return, giving him at least four games off to fully recover. But regardless of the path, this is a tough blow. The Eagles traded for this guy. They invested in him. They brought him in to be that veteran presence on the edge, and right now, he’s nowhere near the field.

Fangio plans to play defensive starters Saturday

On a more positive note, Fangio did say some of the defensive starters will probably play Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens. I’m assuming they’ll get a few drives, maybe the first quarter, but you don’t want anybody getting hurt in a preseason game. Look, the preseason just does not have a lot of buzz for me anymore, and the Eagles have not traditionally played a lot of starters in these games. I’m not expecting too much.

But Vic is a traditional guy. He wants to get his guys out there for at least a little bit of game action, get them into rhythm. I respect it. Just keep everybody healthy and get them back to the sideline.

Makai Lemon’s hamstring issues raise red flags

On the offensive side of things, there’s another situation worth monitoring. Jimmy Kempski pointed out that it’s fair to doubt rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon will be ready to start early in the season. He has now missed at least five consecutive days of practice, and that number could be at six. On top of that, he missed half of the spring practices with a hamstring issue and also half of training camp because of it.

That is not a good start for Lemon, and the lingering nature of the hamstring problem raises questions about his availability for Week 1.

I still believe in his potential. I believe in him as a player. But you’re going to have to slowly bring him along and develop him, because that’s just where things are right now. You don’t want to rush a guy, especially in his rookie season, if he’s dealing with these kinds of lingering issues early on. Philadelphia has the depth to be patient here, and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do with a young player is pump the brakes and let him get right.