A big step in Brandon Brooks' comeback

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Six months after he blew out his Achilles, Brandon Brooks will be back on the practice field on Wednesday.

He won't be playing football anytime soon, but just getting him back on the practice field is huge.

Brooks has been on the Physically Unable to Perform Reserve list since final roster cutdown in September after suffering a season-ending left Achilles injury in June.

On Wednesday, the Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for Brooks, and although the 21-day practice window is generally reserved for players who are about to be activated, in Brooks’ case it will enable him to do some individual work and join his teammates on the practice field for the final three sessions of the year.

Brooks won’t play Sunday in the Eagles’ season finale against Washington, but without having his practice window opened, he wouldn't be allowed to even do individual drills on the field.

Brooks, a three-time Pro Bowl guard, got hurt on June 15 while running on the grass practice fields outside the NovaCare Complex.

In his absence, the Eagles have used Matt Pryor, Jason Peters, Nate Herbig and Jason Brown at right guard.

“I plan to pick up where I left off, as the best in the league,” Brooks said a few days after he got hurt. “That’s just my mentality as far as attacking the rehab, and that’s what I expect when I get back.”

That rehab is now at the point where Brooks can participate in some practice drills before the Eagles close up shop for the winter.

Although Brooks won't play Sunday, it’s certainly a good sign that his rehab is progressing to the point where he can even be out there.  

Brooks tore his right Achilles in the 2018 playoff loss to the Saints at the Superdome but rehabbed quickly enough to start the following opening day, just eight months later. He still has seven months to continue rehabbing before 2021 training camp even begins. 

Brooks' 2019 season ended when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the final regular-season game of the year against the Giants.

Brooks, 31, joined the Eagles in 2016 after spending his first four seasons with the Texans, who drafted him in the third round in 2012.

He made the Pro Bowl after the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Brooks is under contract through 2024 with cap figures ranging from $14.5 million next year to $17.2 million in 2024. His $14.09 million average salary is third-highest among all NFL guards.

The Eagles on Wednesday also opened the 21-day practice window for rookie linebacker Davion Taylor, who's been on Injured Reserve for three weeks with a knee injury after getting hurt in the Packers game.

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