PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson suffered a "significant" foot injury in Sunday's opener against the Washington Redskins, coach Doug Pederson said.
Jackson will undergo further testing to see if surgery is required and determine if it's a season-ending injury. Either way, Jackson is expected to be out for a while. The Eagles may make a roster move Tuesday to account for his absence, Pederson said.
Jackson was injured late in the game during a pass rush. He left on a cart and exited the stadium in a walking boot.
The Eagles signed Jackson to a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason. In pairing Jackson with Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia was slated to have one of the top defensive tackle duos in the NFL. Tim Jernigan will step into a starting role while Jackson is out.
Jackson posted 32.5 sacks in seven seasons with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars. He earned a Pro Bowl bid in after racking up eight sacks for Jacksonville in 2017. His signing was expected to partially offset the departures of Chris Long and Michael Bennett, two of the top pass-rushers for Philadelphia in 2017.
Long decided to retire, in part because he didn't see a big enough role for himself with the Eagles. The plan was to keep Jackson in games on pass-rushing downs for the most part, which would have limited Long's snaps in the "race-car package" where three defensive ends line up alongside Cox.