Getty Head coach Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys Week 16.
Robert Quinn was placed on injured reserve back on December 6 after undergoing a knee scope. The 32-year-old edge rusher sat out the required four weeks and is now eligible to return. Will he be back this week? It’s still unclear.
The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t yet opened the 21-day practice window on Quinn who was acquired at the trade deadline. The All-Pro defensive end was still trying to get comfortable in his role as a situational pass-rusher before getting hurt. Quinn – a guy with 102 career sacks – has only 2 tackles and 0 sacks on 70 defensive snaps since arriving in Philadelphia.
Despite his early struggles, it would be quite a luxury to insert a three-time Pro Bowler back into the pass-rushing rotation come playoff time. Head coach Nick Sirianni provided a cryptic update on his recovery when he addressed reporters on Monday afternoon.
“He’s definitely getting better,” Sirianni said of Quinn. “Again, for me to say right now that he’s going to play or not play is not fair to anybody. So, he’s getting better. He’s worked his butt off to get better. I love the depth that we have there.”
Nick Sirianni says Robert Quinn is “definitely getting better.”
Quinn (knee) has missed four games and is eligible to return for Sunday’s game, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be ready. It is important to note, though, with uncertainty about Josh Sweat (neck).
Predictably, Sirianni didn’t say much in terms of a return timeline but he did hype up the Eagles’ depth at the position. Which they’ll need to rely on due to Josh Sweat’s scary neck injury. He had posted a career-high 11 sacks this season.
“Obviously, Josh Sweat is the player who he is,” Sirianni said. “You’re always going to miss a player of his caliber because he’s such a high-quality football player and high-quality person. You’re always going to miss that.”
Sirianni continued: “Someone shared a stat that we were the first team ever to have four guys with over 10 sacks, so I’m feeling pretty good about our depth at that position, which is pretty amazing. As an offensive coach, you always look at the stats of guys who are up there on their pressures and on their sacks. I’ve never seen a team that has four guys of it because it’s the first time it’s ever happened.”
The Latest Injury Update on Jalen Hurts
The expectation remains that Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback on Sunday. Sirianni wasn’t ready to make an official announcement as he awaits a final decision from team doctors. Hurts’ health is “first and foremost,” according to Sirianni, and the Eagles won’t put him in harm’s way by rushing him back too soon. They also want to make sure Hurts can play at a high level, specifically when it comes to throwing the football with an injured shoulder.
“He has to be able to throw the ball down the field,” Sirianni said. “He has to be able to throw it accurately. He has to be able to throw it with velocity so he can be effective as a quarterback.”
Jalen Hurts will be ready for the #Eagles regular-season finale vs Giants
It’s never been a matter of not wanting to play for Hurts. He is itching to get back out there.
“Yeah, I know Jalen wants to get back,” Sirianni said. “That’s been his message to me ever since this happened. It’s hard to keep him down because of how tough he is, the kind of competitor he is. He wants to go.”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Making Progress
Starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson first hit injured reserve on December 3 after sustaining a lacerated kidney. It’s a tough injury to gauge a return timeline on because it deals with an internal organ. Physically, Gardner-Johnson needs rest more than anything else. The Eagles still haven’t activated the 21-day practice window on him.
“Chauncey, as far as what he’s been able to do, again, you have to rest that,” Sirianni said. “That’s not something that you can be there and do a lot with. But with these last two weeks, he has been able to ramp it up. When it is time for him to go, he’ll be ready to go physically, not just the injury healed I’m saying, but physically be ready to go.”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Robert Quinn are eligible to return from IR.
Brett Kern is all out of practice squad elevations.
Josh Sweat might miss some time but likely won’t be placed on IR.
Howie Roseman sure has his hands full heading into the final game of the regular season!