Jeremy Maclin drew a nice ovation from Philadelphia Eagles fans attending Sunday's open practice at Lincoln Financial Field.
The cheers likely will be the only ones Maclin receives this season after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in practice Saturday. The steady wide receiver's loss is substantial for the Eagles, but general manager Howie Roseman believes Maclin's production can be replaced.
"We have a lot of faith in our skill position group as a whole, and that's kind of how we look at it," Roseman told reporters, via the Eagles' official website. "We're not only looking at just the wide receiver group, we look at the running backs, we look at the tight ends, and those are the guys that we have high hopes and expectations for. That's what (training camp) is for, the competition, and that's why we brought in people to compete."
Roseman cited tight ends James Casey and Zach Ertz as contributors. Roseman also looks forward to Riley Cooper having an opportunity to develop. It certainly doesn't sound like the Eagles are in the market for a veteran receiver.
Roseman also is confident Maclin will make a full recovery.
"Jeremy's a heck of a player, great character, hard worker, he had a great offseason and it's disappointing for him and it's disappointing for us," Roseman said. "He's 25 years old, he'll come back from this. He's overcome a lot of adversity in his life, he's got tremendous character. We're hurting for him, but at the same time, we have to keep going and find guys."
As Gregg Rosenthal pointed out Saturday, the Eagles aren't necessarily in a dire situation. Their receiver depth chart lost its most dependable option this weekend, but talent remains.
UPDATE: Maclin told The Associated Press that his surgery will be conducted by Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday in Alabama. The receiver called the injury "devastating."
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.