Allen Barbre will test his hamstring at game time in Baltimore. Matt Tobin is out and Brandon Brooks is dealing with anxiety issues that have kept him out of two of last three games. Photo by Andy Lewis / contrastphotography.com

Allen Barbre will test his hamstring at game time in Baltimore. Matt Tobin is out as is Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Brandon Brooks is dealing with anxiety issues that have kept him out of two of last three games plus Lane Johnson is still out because of his suspension.

So Eagles rookie head coach Doug Pederson will have his hands full Sunday when the Birds face off against the Baltimore Ravens who are fighting for their playoff lives.

Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson Press Conference
12.16.16

DOUG PEDERSON: To start, let me update you on our injury situation. [G/T] Allen Barbre is doing well with the hamstring; he’ll be listed as questionable. [RB] Darren Sproles and Big V [T Halapoulivaati Vaitai — Darren is still in the [concussion] protocol and Big V is just not there yet, so we’re listing both of them as ‘out’ of this football game. [TE Brent] Celek is good. DGB [WR Dorial Green-Beckham] is good. [WR] Jordan Matthews is fine. And everybody else is good.

Q. Will Barbre be a game time decision?
DOUG PEDERSON: [Yes], game time.

Q. Will he practice today at all?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yes.

Q. Barbre will?
DOUG PEDERSON: Limited, very limited. Just going to see where he’s at mobility-wise.

Q. If Barbre can’t go, will G/T Isaac Seumalo start at right tackle?
DOUG PEDERSON: If he can’t go, it’ll be Isaac [at right tackle] and [G] Brandon [Brooks] [at right guard]. Yes.

Q. How has Seumalo looked?
DOUG PEDERSON: Been great. In practice, he’s smooth. He’s athletic [and] smart. He understands the schemes. Obviously, [in] the live reps on Sunday we’ll find out, but he’s done a good job this week.

Q. When you drafted Seumalo, obviously one of his big features was that he could play all five positions on the offensive line. Did you envision him ever playing tackle at any point or did you envision him as more of a guard/center?
DOUG PEDERSON: More guard/center, when we brought him in. He had played a couple of games in college at tackle and had played well there. He’s very capable of handling it. It’s just a different position. You’re more on an island and have more one-on-one blocks [at tackle], but he’s had a great week and he’s ready to go.

Q. With two running backs being down for this game, does this mean RB Byron Marshall definitely has a role on Sunday?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yes, he does have a role for Sunday.

Q. Is it an extensive role, do you think?
DOUG PEDERSON: It’s possible. You know, just sometimes it doesn’t necessarily — you don’t really know until you get into the game and how you want to use him. But he’s very capable and understands our offense extremely well. One of the reasons why we brought him up, is he’s been in our meetings all year. He’s listened to the terminology; he’s seen the guys in front of him play. So [we’ve got] a lot of confidence in him getting some reps in the game.

Q. Sproles does so much for you guys. Is the playbook limited without him out there or can RBs Kenjon Barner and Ryan Mathews do what he does?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, Ryan is Ryan; he’s going to get the work. Kenjon, and really Byron, kind of fill that Darren Sproles role just a little bit. But by no means do we limit anything with the game plan.

Q. Will Barner return punts now?
DOUG PEDERSON: He will. Yeah.

Q. With Barbre being very limited today and not practicing the last two days, what are the difficulties of trying to get him ready?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, the difficulty is that he didn’t get a ton of reps, if many, this week. We’ve just got to see where he’s at again today. But the thing is with him, too, if he can give us something during the game, maybe even as a backup or an emergency if possible, but I’ve just got to see where he’s at today and tomorrow.

Q. If Brandon Brooks and Barbre both can’t go for some reason, what’s your fallback there?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, that’s the reason why I’ve got to see where Allen is at. You’ve got [C/G] Josh Andrews sitting there and [T] Dillon Gordon there and now Allen in the mix. So that’s kind of the rotation if something were to happen at game time.

Q. What have you seen out of Gordon in the last few months?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, obviously he’s been [on the] service team, and he’s definitely improved. His technique has gotten a lot better. He’s a sharp kid. Got a few reps yesterday with the offense. You know, and again, it’s limited, but at the same time, [he] can definitely get you through a ballgame.

Q. Is Gordon strictly a tackle?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, tackle and he can play that Matt Tobin tight end-Isaac [Seumalo] tight end position if we need to.

Q. In QB Carson Wentz’s case, what effect does it have on a quarterback when he knows there’s an unstable offensive line in front of him?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, it definitely increases your awareness over there, and as the play-caller, I have to make sure that I’m doing Isaac justice by helping him if I can and when I can, and I’m not going to be able to do it all the time, obviously, but I’ve got to be aware of that. You are aware as a quarterback. Your rhythm and timing have to be just at the utmost high, just get the ball out of your hand. These are two great pass rushers off the edge, and we saw that with Big V in Washington a little bit. It definitely ups your awareness, but got all the confidence in Isaac to do a good job.

Q. T Lane Johnson will be coming back after this week, but it’ll be a short week. What are your thoughts on whether he’ll be able to jump back into the mix or not?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, if we’re in our current injury situation at tackle, I think it’s almost a no-brainer that we’ve got to put him out there, even on a short week. You know, and we’ve just got to protect that side, and we can move Isaac back inside, and whatever we can do. We’ll wait until Monday and get him in here, see where he’s at health-wise and all that, but until that time, you know, we’ll go with what we’ve got.

Q. Were you able to keep tabs in any way? I know the communication was limited.
DOUG PEDERSON: No.

Q. Players can talk to him. Through them, have you received any updates on Johnson?
DOUG PEDERSON: I have not. I’ve stayed away from that.

Q. Are there benefits to you going through your first NFL head coaching season and Wentz going through his rookie season? Are there benefits of that happening at the same time?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think so. As a head coach I’m learning every single day, every single week, and it’s great for me because, number one, as a play-caller and managing the game and talking to your quarterback, a young quarterback, we kind of work through some of these situations together, so there’s been a great benefit. And for me it’s just heightened my awareness of the overall game procedure and the trust that I have in Carson and the offense. But I think there are a lot of benefits of definitely doing this together first year.

Q. The Ravens’ defensive backs do a good job of disguising where some of the guys drop back and others rush. With Wentz and his ability to pick up the blitz and read that, how confident are you in him to be able to make plays against that?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, they do a good job of that disguise. You get into those third-down situations and they move guys around quite a bit, different looks, and they’re very good at it, and that’s why they’re a top defense in the National Football League, specifically on third down. For us it’s just coming down to the film study during the week, Carson and [C] Jason Kelce being on the same page with mike points and ID’s and different things that we do up front with the offensive line and quarterbacks and [running] backs, and they’ve done a good job with it all week long. We know that sometimes we’re not going to be able to protect them all, so Carson has to be aware of where he’s vulnerable in protection and know where his quick throws are and get the ball out of his hand. But it’s another challenge, but the guys have prepared themselves well.

Q. Has there been any thought at all over the course of the week of sitting Wentz given the state of the offensive line?
DOUG PEDERSON: No, not at all. You know, and listen, I’m a big believer in [finishing] this thing out the right way, and [playing] our guys. We play the guys that have been there all season long, and he’s been a big part of that. I don’t want to necessarily do that right now with him. I don’t want to send that type of message not only to him but to the team. He’s a leader, and we go with the guys that have battled and got us to this point.