PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles preach a "next man up" approach when it comes to replacing injured players. The latest to suffer: running back Jay Ajayi, who was placed on injured reserve with an injured knee on Monday.

The next man up this time might be Corey Clement.

Clement, a Glassboro product, is still working his way back from a quadriceps injury, though he is expected to play on Thursday night against the Giants.

The second-year player brings a different dimension to the Eagles' running back committee with his abilities to impact both the rushing and passing attacks. He seems like the logical replacement for Ajayi as the Eagles' bell cow.

Clement is "a versatile player," offensive coordinator Mike Groh said on Tuesday. "He's good, he really runs well between the tackles. He can be that physical-style running back that we're talking about that Jay is. Plus, he's an outstanding receiver out of the backfield. He gives us a lot of versatility."

Clement, Wendell Smallwood and rookie Josh Adams will combine to fill the void left by Ajayi. Darren Sproles (hamstring) has been sidelined since Week 2, so the Eagles have been able to get a good look at both Smallwood and Adams.

Clement missed Week 4's loss to the Tennessee Titans and was active but did not play against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. However, Clement practiced on Tuesday and if he is active against the Giants, he will probably be asked to step up in Ajayi's absence.

Despite his potentially expanded role, Groh stopped short of setting the bar too high for Clement's return to the lineup.

"We're just hoping to get Corey back to being Corey," Groh said. "He's been battling and I know he's been working really hard these past couple of weeks to get healthy and made enough progress to be active last week, so a few more days, I think he'll be feeling a little bit better."

With Ajayi out of the lineup, the Eagles are missing their top short-yardage back.

Replacing Ajayi won't be easy, but Clement has shown he can make big plays when called upon. The Eagles will rely on him -- along with Smallwood and Adams -- to fill that void as a powerful runner in the Eagles' offense.

"We're going to miss Jay's physicality for sure," Groh said. "To sit here and say we won't miss Jay, I think isn't fair. Jay is an excellent running back but we've gotten these [other] guys a lot of experience, they've played in enough games to be able to go out there and play well and be able to run our system, so we're confident in what they can do."

Mike Kaye may be reached at mkaye@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_E_Kaye. Find NJ.com on Facebook.