Kelce With Torn MCL, Partially Torn ACL


Philadelphia Eagles center Jason KelceJason Kelce has a partially torn ACL and a completely torn MCL in his right knee, Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said today.

Burkholder explained that the first thing to do is let the MCL heal, which will take four-to-six weeks. From there, Kelce has two options: Have surgery on the ACL, which would mean he’s out for the season. Or don’t fix it, which would mean he could possibly return later this season.

Kelce will have his knee scoped Tuesday morning to see how bad the ACL tear is.

“From there, we’ll determine our treatment plan, which could either be four-to-six week rehab and bracing and continue to play, or to do his ACL reconstruction four to six weeks from now,” Burkholder said.

The reason for waiting on the surgery would be to let the MCL heal first.

Burkholder said the team will check with sports medicine experts, physicians and head athletic trainers to determine which option is best for Kelce.

“As far as we can tell right now it’s a mixed bag,” said Burkholder. “Some people get it fixed right away, and some people let the MCL heal and play with a partial [ACL tear].

Kelce was injured in the third quarter of yesterday’s game on a 9-yard run by LeSean McCoy to the right side. Ravens safety Ed Reed dove to bring down McCoy, but missed and ended up taking Kelce out.

Originally a sixth-round pick in 2011, Kelce started all 16 games as a rookie. This offseason, the Eagles gave him added responsibilities in terms of pre-snap calls.

Dallas Reynolds filled in for Kelce after he went down and held up well.

In other injury news:

* Nate Allen has a shoulder contusion.

* Colt Anderson hyper-extened his right knee (the off-knee).

* Jason Babin has a slight abdominal strain but should be fine, according to Reid.

* King Dunlap has a hamstring strain. He is day-to-day and probably won’t practice Wednesday.

* DeSean Jackson had a hamstring spasm in-game. He was sore Monday.

* Jeremy Maclin has “an added hip contusion to the hip contusion,” Reid said. He will struggle to practice on Wednesday.

* Evan Mathis has a neck contusion.

* Riley Cooper (collarbone) will not be back full this week and will practice in a limited role this week.

Tim McManus contributed to this story.