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Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Trending Up, Saints Star Misses Practice

Getty Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is poised to improve on last season, according to head coach Nick Sirianni

Maybe Nick Sirianni wasn’t blowing smoke when he said Jalen Hurts had a chance to play this week. The starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles was throwing at Thursday’s practice as the head coach shouted “I told ya!” at reporters observing the session.

Hurts, who is rehabbing from a right shoulder sprain, appeared to be moving around well and showing zip on intermediate throws. It marked his first full practice since December 16 as questions abound about his status for Sunday.

“He’s feeling good,” Sirianni told reporters on Wednesday. “I guess what I’m saying is if his body heals quickly, which I’m seeing that it does, he’s better than he was last week at this time because it’s seven days later, if that helps you.”

Does that mean Hurts is going to suit up against New Orleans?

“We’ll continue to see how he progresses throughout the week,” Sirianni said. “Does he have a chance? Of course he does, because his body just knows how to heal. He’s a freak. We’ll see what happens as the week progresses.”


Eagles List 11 Players Limited on Injury Report

Hurts was officially listed as limited on Thursday’s injury report. James Bradberry, A.J. Brown, Fletcher Cox, Landon Dickerson, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Miles Sanders, Isaac Seumalo, Darius Slay, and Josh Sweat all joined him with various ailments. Some of them were simply granted veteran rest days.

Meanwhile, rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis (concussion) was labeled a full participant. He has officially cleared the NFL’s protocol for head injuries. Right tackle Lane Johnson (groin) and nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox (toe) were absent, with defensive tackle Linval Joseph adding his name to the walking wounded due to a non-COVID illness.

Philadelphia’s sudden rash of injuries has only caused the team to dig deeper, in their film study and in the hearts. That 40-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week still isn’t sitting well.

“Are we still mad about our loss? Absolutely we are,” Sirianni said. “Sometimes that fuels you to dig a little bit deeper so you don’t let each other down. That’s where we are right now. We are going to dig deeper, find more answers. We feel like we’re obviously on that track now of finding more answers.”


Alvin Kamara Misses Saints Practice

New Orleans Saints stud Alvin Kamara missed a second straight day of practice on Thursday. He was listed out due to a quadriceps/personal matter, although Nick Underhill reported that neither issue will “impact his status” for Sunday.

Safety Marcus Maye (shoulder), guard Andrus Peat (ankle), tackle Ryan Ramczyk (illness), and running back Dwayne Washington (illness) were also missing in action for New Orleans. Important to note: receiver Chris Olave (hamstring) and linebacker Peter Werner (hamstring) were limited participants.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke earlier this week on how much respect he has for the Saints on both offense and defense. He singled out Kamara as one of their “unique playmakers.”

“There’s no doubt they have playmakers on offense, very unique playmakers with Kamara and with [Taysom] Hill and with [Chris] Olave,” Sirianni said. “I have a lot of respect for those guys. I think Andy Dalton has always been a good quarterback in this league who just knows how to win.”

More Heavy on Eagles News

The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints released their latest injury reports on Thursday, with QB Jalen Hurts getting back on the practice field and throwing the football around.