Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is back in the lineup and one step closer to playing in Sunday’s playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Hurts was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday’s injury report. He missed the final two games of the regular season due to a concussion and an injury to a finger on his left hand.
Hurts returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in a game against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22. “It was cool to have him there. It’s always good to have a QB1 back. It was awesome,” Eagles offensive lineman Mekhi Becton said, per the team’s official website. “He looked great. He looked like Jalen.”
One thing to note is that Hurts has not cleared concussion protocol yet. ESPN analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky recently said he has some concerns about Hurts because he has missed so much practice time.
“I’m pretty concerned about Jalen Hurts at this point,” Orlovsky said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, according to the New York Post. “That’s a long time to not practice as a quarterback…I’m very interested to see what happens in the next 48 hours.”
Eagles have ‘a lot of confidence’ in Jalen Hurts
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The Eagles aren’t worried about Hurts’ performance when he plays against the Packers on Sunday. “We have a lot of confidence in him and what he can do,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday during an appearance on 94.1 WIP, according to ESPN. “This is why you practice like we practice. The practices are high intensity. We feel like we have a great practice plan and the players approach practice with a very game feel. There, you can work out your quirks and worries and stay locked in and focused all week. Great as we get Jaylen ready for a football game. I trust you.”
Hurts was a big reason why the Eagles finished the season with a 14-3 record and were the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The former Oklahoma Sooners QB threw for 2,903 yards, 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 15 games with a passer rating of 103.7. On the ground, Hurts ran for 630 yards on 150 carries and scored 14 touchdowns.
