Jalen Hurts sighting at Eagles practice. First we’ve seen him on the field since the injury. pic.twitter.com/8ibpResEaS
Buy Saints Tickets— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 29, 2022
We’ve got movement. Jalen Hurts was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday’s injury report while dealing with a sprained throwing shoulder, but the Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback was spotted at Thursday’s practice session. He was seen throwing in individual drills during the portion of work open to the media, though his exact level of involvement remains to be seen.
So will the New Orleans Saints face him on Sunday? We’ll just have to wait and find out, but everything Hurts and his coaches have said thus far suggests he’ll have a shot at suiting up. The Eagles need just one more win to clinch the top NFC playoff seed and everything that comes with it (homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye), and knocking off the Saints would improve the first-round selection Philadelphia is getting from New Orleans in the 2023 NFL draft. Hurts and the Eagles should be plenty motivated to put their best players on the field.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew wasn’t able to get the job done last week in relief of Hurts against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, though he completed 24 of 40 pass attempts for 355 yards with 2 touchdown passes and as many interceptions (he added 5 rushing yards, including a crucial short-yardage touchdown run, though he fumbled twice in that game). Hurts would certainly help their chances.
The Saints haven’t been able to guard him in each of their last two trips to Philadelphia, with Hurts doing as much damage through the air (completing 24 of 54 attempts for 314 yards and a touchdown pass) as on the ground (gaining 175 yards and scoring 3 touchdown runs) while leading his teams to wins of 24-21 and 40-29 margins. He’s a challenging opponent to cover thanks to his big arm and running ability. We’ll see if he can go on Sunday, but returning to practice like this is an important first step.
