Eagles WR Curtis has sports hernia surgery

Aug 21, 2008 - 3:51 PM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis underwent successful sports hernia surgery Thursday morning.

The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers at Hahnemann Hospital. The Eagles have not released a timetable for Curtis' return, but head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that he will be sidelined "for a while."

Curtis was injured in last Thursday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

"He tried to work through it but wasn't able to function very well with it during practice, so we decided to go in this direction," Reid said.

Curtis becomes the third Eagle to have a sports hernia in the last few years. Quarterback Donovan McNabb had surgery during the 2005 season after trying to play through the injury. Tight end L.J. Smith had offseason surgery in the spring of 2007, but the injury lingered during the season after he suffered another injury to the area during training camp.

The injury to Curtis further depletes an already shaky receiving corps which also is missing starter Reggie Brown due to a hamstring injury.

Curtis was the Eagles' top receiver last season, catching 77 passes for 1,110 yards and matching a career high with six touchdowns. He signed with the club as a free agent prior to last season.

McNabb, who unsuccessfully lobbied for the club to add another playmaker at wide receiver during the offseason, will now be throwing to untested rookie DeSean Jackson and Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis - two marginal receivers - when the Eagles open their season at home against the St. Louis Rams on September 7.

Despite Curtis' injury, the stubborn Reid has maintained that the Eagles would not pursue a trade for a wide receiver.

It would have seemed logical that the Arizona Cardinals could be a trading partner, since wide receiver Anquan Boldin is unhappy with his contract. The Eagles also have a player unhappy with his contract in two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard.