The Philadelphia Eagles placed offensive tackle Jordan Mailata on injured reserve on Saturday, further pushing back his eventual NFL debut.
Mailata, a seventh-round pick by the Eagles in 2018, has been dealing with a back injury since the preseason. He didn’t play at all last year and eventually was placed on IR in December.
A former rugby player in Australia, the 6-foot-8, 346-pound Mailata made his way to the NFL via the International Pathway Program.
To fill Mailata’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Eagles promoted college quarterback-turned-wide receiver Greg Ward from the practice squad.