Eagles stars Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith ruled out of London game against Jaguars

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and receiver DeVonta Smith have been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London because of hamstring injuries.

Barkley hurt his right hamstring early in last week's 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and didn't practice all week.

Smith also didn't practice this week and will miss his second straight game.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was added to the injury report Friday with a calf issue though he was a full participant at practice and the team later released veteran QB Andy Dalton.

Dalton’s exit means Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton will back up Hurts.

The Eagles were scheduled to land in London on Saturday morning for the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Philadelphia is also dealing with a reshuffled offensive line after this week's retirement of Lane Johnson followed by the trade of Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens for second- and fifth-round draft picks.

Johnson had been a late scratch for last week’s game against the Rams for personal reasons.

Barkley has rushed for 182 yards on 36 carries this season with no touchdowns. He had just two carries against the Rams and had missed a portion of the Week 2 game against the Titans after sustaining a stinger in his left arm.

Also ruled out for Sunday were receiver Marquise Brown (ankle), safety Marcus Epps (groin) and center Drew Kendall (knee).

The Eagles then made several roster moves Friday — signing center Jake Majors and running back Carson Steele to the active roster.

They also placed defensive tackle Uar Bernard — a Nigerian who was part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program — on the practice squad injured list.

Sirianni ‘really confident’ in O-line

Before the team's flight to London, coach Nick Sirianni fielded media questions that mostly focused on the evolving offensive line. Asked if he was on board with the Jurgens trade, Sirianni replied “of course.”

“I feel really confident in the room of who we have in there and the direction we’re moving toward,” he said. “Like I said, wish Cam nothing but the best, but feel really good about everybody that’s in this room.”

Despite two straight losses and injuries piling up, Sirianni struck an optimistic tone: “When you lock arms and you go through those things together, those naturally bring people together, too.”

Lurie announces funding for autism research

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie announced he'll be supporting London-based autism research with a $500,000 pilot grant and a $170,000 post-doctoral fellowship.

The Eagles Autism Foundation said the investment “will be awarded to proposals that establish a proven and results-driven approach to autism research, services and programs in London.” The two-year, post-doctoral fellowship will fund research at the Lurie Autism Institute in Philadelphia.