Smith and Baun are both out Sunday, and the Eagles are heading to the Rams short-handed on both sides of the ball

DeVonta Smith is out for Week 4, and so is Zack Baun. That's the receiver who has been the offense's last reliable target since A.J. Brown was traded and Goedert went down, and the linebacker who led this defense in tackles last season. Both of them, gone for the same game, against the Rams.

On offense, Britain Covey and Xavier Gipson are the names at receiver behind Smith — I flagged that depth chart two days ago and it was already thin. Hurts cleared his concussion protocol and is active, which matters, but the question of who he throws to in a meaningful moment remains genuinely unanswered. Saquon Barkley will carry a heavier load, and that's probably the right call given what's available.

The defensive side is the part that's harder to paper over. Baun was the anchor of this linebacker group — the kind of player coaches around the league called a top-10 linebacker heading into the season. With Chance Campbell already out, Anfernee Orji and Nolan Smith are next in line at the position. That's a significant drop in experience for a game on the road against a team that will test them.

The Eagles have been managing attrition all month. This is the week it gets genuinely difficult to manage.