Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles LB Kiko Alonso set to make preseason debut Thursday

Published Sep. 2, 2015 9:14 a.m. ET

foxsports

It hasn't been the exact offseason that Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso wanted to have in his return to the field from a torn ACL that wiped out his 2014 season. Alonso suffered a concussion early in camp and followed it up with a left knee injury after returning to action.

The injuries have forced Alonso to miss the Eagles' first three preseason games, but he's finally ready to make his Eagles debut on Thursday night against the New York Jets. Normally the starters don't get much burn in the final preseason game, and Alonso's exact playing time hasn't been revealed, but head coach Chip Kelly understands the value of getting him some live action after he missed the entire 2014 season.

Alonso is far from guaranteed a starting job in the Eagles' crowded inside linebacker corps, but if he plays anything like he did during his rookie season, he will earn a starting spot soon. Alonso is excited to finally get back to action this Thursday so he can shake off some of the rust.

“The more reps the better. It’s always good to get reps,” Alonso said, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I haven’t been out there, so it’ll be good to get out there,” he said. “It’s been a while” since the final game of Buffalo’s 2013 season, which was Alonso’s last live action."

The Eagles are certainly excited to get an opportunity to see what they have in the player they traded LeSean McCoy for early in the offseason.

(h/t Philly)