Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek has a "slight" sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, but that won't have the team signing a tight end off the street, head coach Andy Reid said on Friday.
Celek, who underwent two surgeries this offseason, was injured while hauling in a pass early in the Eagles' first training camp practice on Thursday. Despite Celek's injury, Reid said that signing tight end Jeremy Shockey is not an option at the moment.
Reid did not specify where on the scale (grades I, II or III) of MCL injuries Celek's falls in, but that it's considered "mild" and that there are no plans to bring in reinforcements indicates that it's a Grade I tear, which usually sidelines an athlete for a week or two. The Eagles do not open the preseason for another 13 days, which means Clay Harbor, Brett Brackett and Chase Ford will benefit from additional reps during practice while Celek rests.
Adding a tight end was a consideration earlier this week when the Eagles hosted Visanthe Shiancoe. The 32-year-old ended up signing a one-year contract worth up to $2 million with the New England Patriots. At the same time, multiple reports indicated that the Eagles were set to host the 31-year-old Shockey, but that visit was put on hold.
