Eagles injury update: Jalen Hurts misses full week of practice originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was not at practice on Friday and has now missed the entire week ahead of the Cowboys game on Sunday.
The Eagles are preparing to start Kenny Pickett.
Even head coach Nick Sirianni, usually evasive about injuries, admitted that Hurts likely won’t be able to play.
“He’s still in the protocol,” Sirianni said on Friday morning. “It’s going to be tough for him to make it this week.”
Hurts suffered his concussion in the first quarter against the Commanders and was replaced by Pickett. Hurts remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
In addition to Hurts, running back Will Shipley (concussion) also missed the full week of practice.
All three players who were limited on Thursday — WR A.J. Brown (rest, knee), DE Josh Sweat (rest, ankle) and Nakobe Dean (abdomen) — were practicing on Friday.
But WR Britain Covey (neck) was not at Friday’s practice. Covey has been a full participant but has now missed three straight games.
But the big news is obviously the quarterback position, where the Eagles will likely start someone other than Hurts for the first time since late in the 2022 season.
On Thursday afternoon, Pickett was already speaking like the starter.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Pickett said. “Been working hard to stay ready. Felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation. Now having a week to practice, I’ll feel even better going into the stadium. I’m excited. Just want to get the win.”
Pickett isn’t 100 percent healthy either. He suffered a ribs injury during the loss to the Commanders and was listed as limited to start the week. While Pickett didn’t want to get into the specifics of his injury, he said he’ll be wearing some extra padding in his flak jacket this weekend.
Against the Commanders, Pickett completed 14 of 23 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Eagles’ 36-33 loss. But this week, the Eagles have been able to tailor their game plan more to Pickett and he has gotten significant reps with the first-team offense, including starting receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“I think [Pickett has] had a nice week of practice,” Sirianni said. “He’s done a nice job and we’ve had some good practices and walkthroughs this week.:
This will be Pickett’s first start in over a calendar year. The former first-round pick was drafted by the Steelers and started 24 games for them before getting benched down the stretch in 2023.
The Eagles’ backup quarterbacks will be Tanner McKee and Ian Book, who was brought back to the practice squad this week.
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