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Jalen Hurts has cleared the first hurdle in his possible return and will participate in Wednesday’s walk-through, according to Nick Sirianni. The Philadelphia Eagles head coach wasn’t ready to name Hurts his starting quarterback, though. He wants to wait and see how he handles an actual full-throttle practice on Thursday. Hurts is certainly trending in the right direction, but he could be a game-time decision once again.
“We’ll still keep that day by day. We don’t have to make a decision yet,” Sirianni told reporters. “And we’re going to see how this week goes, and we’re going to see how today’s walk-through goes and everything. And then tomorrow we’ll see a little bit more because we’ll be more than a walk-through, we’ll be practicing. And so we’ll get a better idea here in the next couple of days.”
Sirianni previously stated that if Hurts was medically cleared by doctors, then he would be under center on Sunday versus New York. The Eagles are in desperate need of a win to secure the NFC East title, plus the NFC’s No. 1 seed which would guarantee them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hurts is “expected to be available” in Week 18. Ditto for NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport who believes Hurts will be the starter on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Stay tuned.
C.J. Gardner Johnson, Robert Quinn Cleared to Return
The long wait is over for two important playmakers. Sirianni announced that the team was opening the 21-day practice windows on starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn. That doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to play on Sunday as they still have to be added back to the 53-man roster.
There had been much speculation in recent days about when each player would return from their respective injuries. Remember, Quinn was placed on injured reserve back on December 6 after undergoing a knee scope; Gardner-Johnson hit injured reserve on December 3 with a lacerated kidney.
Meanwhile, there was no immediate update on cornerback Avonte Maddox who is dealing with a toe injury. He has been showing up to the practice facility and attacking his rehab, per Sirianni, but the head coach wasn’t ready to provide a timetable for a return. In fact, Sirianni left some doubt about Maddox coming back at all.
“With Avonte, we’re just taking that day by day,” Sirianni said. “I’m not going to put a timetable on him. I know he’s getting better as he goes. He’s been in there getting better every day, rehabbing, and so not sure when we’ll get Avonte back. We’re hopeful we’ll get him back but not sure when it’s going to happen.”
Josh Sweat Back with Teammates After Neck Injury
There has been plenty of positive news flowing about Josh Sweat following a scary neck injury on Sunday. He crashed hard to the turf after making a tackle on Saints fullback Adam Prentice in Week 17, a collision that left him face down and motionless for a few minutes. (This happened hours before Damar Hamlin). Sweat was treated at a nearby hospital where he was observed and then sent home.
The Pro Bowl pass rusher is already back at the Eagles’ practice facility where he has been lobbying Sirianni to let him play. There is a chance Sweat and his career-high 11 sacks could return for the playoffs.
“Josh was in here today, no update as far as where he is,” Sirianni told reporters on Wednesday. “You know, as far as anything there, we’ll just contine to take it day by day, obviously we all know what happened to him on Sunday. But it was good to see him back in here today and the smile on his face … and he’s probably going to be bugging me to play. We’ll see, we’ll take that day by day. I’m glad he’s back in the building with his teammates.”
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