Jalen Hurts

Eagles To Start Gardner Minshew In Week 16

December 22nd, 2022 at 9:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Jalen Hurts‘ shoulder injury will lead to the MVP candidate missing at least one game. Nick Sirianni said Thursday the plan is for the Eagles to start backup Gardner Minshew against the Cowboys.

The former Jaguars starter whom the Eagles acquired via trade last year, Minshew has made two starts with Philadelphia. Sirianni’s decision will wrap a regular season that will have featured two Cowboys-Eagles games involving backup quarterbacks. Cooper Rush faced Hurts in October, as Dak Prescott rehabbed his thumb injury.

While the Eagles are going week to week with Hurts, it is possible he either misses multiple games or does not return until the playoffs. During a Week 15 game in which Hurts matched his season-high with 17 carries, he suffered a shoulder sprain in the third quarter. Hurts finished the game, and it is believed he could play through this were Philly’s Christmas Eve Dallas rematch a must-win game. But the Eagles hold a three-game lead on the Cowboys in the NFC East and are essentially three up in the home-field advantage race, thanks to an early-season win over the 11-3 Vikings, so Hurts-related caution can take place.

This will become a pivotal game for Minshew, who is on track for free agency in March. The former Jags sixth-round pick has been a quality backup with the Eagles, after flashing frequently on struggling Jacksonville teams during his first two seasons. Although Urban Meyer continued to give Minshew first-team reps for much of the 2021 offseason, Trevor Lawrence‘s expected ascent coming to pass led to a Minshew trade. The Eagles acquired the Washington State product for a conditional draft choice last year. It became a sixth-rounder after Minshew did not play at least 50% of Philly’s offensive snaps in three games last season.

Minshew, 26, did clear the 50% barrier in two games last season — both starts. He filled in for Hurts, who was battling an ankle injury, against the Jets and started with a cast of Eagles backups against the Cowboys in Week 18. When playing with Philly starters in New Jersey, Minshew completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. That win helped an Eagles team that was not viewed especially highly entering last season into the playoffs.

After replacing an injured Nick Foles as a rookie in 2019, Minshew took over the Jags job for good later that season. In 14 games (12 starts) in 2019, the former Mike Leach pupil surprised most by throwing 21 touchdown passes compared to six interceptions. QBR rated Minshew in the bottom five that year, however, and the Jags went 1-7 in his 2020 starts en route to securing the following year’s No. 1 overall pick.

A multigame audition this season, backed by a well-built Eagles roster, could put Minshew on the radar to be a potential bridge option or at least up his value as a backup on the market. The Eagles host the Saints and Giants to close the season.

Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Suffers Shoulder Injury, Could Miss Multiple Games

December 19th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles are the 15th team since the 1970 merger to start 13-1. Their September win over the Vikings currently gives them a three-game lead in the NFC’s home-field advantage race. This would allow for caution regarding injured players, and Jalen Hurts‘ status has now come up on this front.

This season’s MVP frontrunner suffered a shoulder sprain during the Eagles’ win over the Bears on Sunday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). This is not considered to be an injury that threatens Hurts’ playoff status, but the Eagles are preparing for the possibility Gardner Minshew starts against the Cowboys in Week 16 (Twitter link).

A Hurts return might take a bit longer, given the circumstances. The injury is to Hurts’ throwing shoulder, and with the team wanting him at full strength when he comes back, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane adds the third-year quarterback faces the prospect of missing Philadelphia’s next two games or being shut down until the playoffs. Were the Eagles to sit the MVP until the postseason, it would likely give him more than a month of recovery time. The divisional round begins Jan. 21.

Hurts suffered the injury on a third-quarter hit from Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson, who tackled the third-year passer on one of his 17 carries — which matched a season-high mark — in Week 15. While Hurts has made considerable strides as a passer this season, his rushing ability is a major part of Philly’s offense. The former second-round pick has amassed 747 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, three of those coming against the Bears on Sunday. Hurts, however, has either been hit or tackled 184 times this season, per ESPN, with that total ranking behind only Justin Fields and Daniel Jones.

Minshew started one game in relief of Hurts last season, filling in after Hurts suffered an ankle injury. The former Jaguars draftee should be viewed as likely to make another start Saturday, McLane adds. Hurts, who was not quite as effective after returning from that injury last year, underwent ankle surgery this offseason. He has removed previous doubt about an ability to be a high-end starting quarterback, and the Eagles have a recent history of securing a No. 1 seed without their starting quarterback. Nick Foles replaced Carson Wentz to land the NFC’s top seed five years ago. Wentz was on the cusp of MVP acclaim when he went down with an ACL tear, but Foles ended up lifting the team to a Super Bowl title. It does not appear the Eagles will need to consider Minshew for the playoffs, however, representing obvious good news for the league’s only team with fewer than three losses.

The Eagles host the Saints in Week 17, and the Giants will visit Philly to close out the regular season. Minshew went 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in his start against the Jets last season. He also started in Week 18 against the Cowboys, as the Eagles rested starters. After Dallas was forced to start Cooper Rush in its early-season matchup in Philadelphia, it is looking like this high-profile rivalry will not involve a Hurts-Dak Prescott duel this time around either.

NFC East Notes: Toney, Eagles, Commanders

October 7th, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Kadarius Toney did not make the trip to London with his Giants teammates, and Brian Daboll offered another discouraging update regarding the 2021 first-round pick’s status. Toney is battling a new injury, with Daboll indicating the reason he did not make the trip is due to a Wednesday tweak of his previously non-injured hamstring (via SNY’s Connor Hughes, on Twitter). Toney is now dealing with injuries to both his hamstrings, and ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan adds (via Twitter) the shifty wideout said the hamstring issue he entered the week with was different from the one that plagued him this offseason. That would add up to three hamstring problems since camp.

Toney has yet to sustain a serious injury as a pro, but he has fast become one of the league’s most unavailable players. Quadriceps and oblique injuries sidelined him for seven combined games last season, and an ankle malady forced him out of another game. Toney missed much of last year’s training camp with a hamstring injury and underwent a knee scope this offseason. The Giants’ current regime is souring on the Dave Gettleman-era investment, who is signed through 2024.

The Giants will be without Toney, Kenny Golladay and Wan’Dale Robinson against the Packers in London. The second-round rookie, who has not played since Week 1, will likely be out again. While Golladay will almost certainly not be part of next year’s Giants team, it is worth wondering if Toney will be. Here is the latest from the NFC East:

The Giants wanted DeVonta Smith last year, but the Eagles traded in front of them. Philadelphia was able to begin wheeling and dealing to land the Heisman winner after its apparent Week 17 tanking effort the year prior. That gave Philly the No. 6 overall pick, though Doug Pederson was no longer with the team by that draft. Pederson never informed Jalen Hurts of the plan to, after not dressing Carson Wentz that night, take him out and play third-stringer Nate Sudfeld, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Pederson benching Hurts late in a close, nationally televised game bothered some in the organization, including then-DC Jim Schwartz. Some staffers also wondered if that decision would affect the Pederson-Hurts relationship going forward, McLane adds. That said, Pederson later expressed regret he did not go with Hurts sooner. As Wentz struggled during the 2020 season, the Eagles did not turn to Hurts until Week 14 that year.
Eagles management wanted to use the 2021 season to retool with younger talent, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes, while Pederson was behind a reload with a similar coaching staff. Pederson, who had resisted management’s wishes to oust Mike Groh during the 2020 offseason, wanted to promote Press Taylor to OC. That did not sit well with Jeffrey Lurie. Pederson has since hired Taylor as his Jaguars OC.
The Andrew Norwell–Trai Turner guard reunion may end up being short-lived. The Commanders benched Turner in Week 4, and Ron Rivera said the move will carry over. Saahdiq Charles will start over Turner in Week 5, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets, with Rivera noting Turner is not fully over the quad injury he battled in camp. Turner nevertheless started from Weeks 2-4 and played 100% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps in Weeks 2 and 3. The former Rivera Panthers charge signed a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason, coming to Washington after one-year stays with the Chargers and Steelers. A third-year Washington O-lineman, Charles has started five career games

Latest On Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

March 31st, 2022 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

With the QB carousel mostly complete, it seems pretty clear that Jalen Hurts will be under center for the Eagles next season. However, when asked about the quarterback position, owner Jeffrey Lurie didn’t necessarily give a ringing endorsement. While Lurie told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the organization believes in Hurts because of his intangibles, he never mentioned Hurts’ on-field skills. The owner also asked “who knows what the future holds, right?”…which is something an owner with a franchise QB probably wouldn’t say.

We heard that the Eagles had done extensive research on Deshaun Watson, and McLane writes that the organization kicked the tires on Russell Wilson. However, the two QBs refused to waive their no-trade clauses to land in Philly, taking the Eagles out of the conversation. Still, these pursuits illustrate that the front office would certainly consider an upgrade at QB.

Some pundits have even suggested that Philly could look toward the draft for a signal-caller. McLane previously expressed doubt in this scenario, with the writer believing the Eagles could move one of their three first-round picks with eyes on QBs in the 2023 draft.

Hurts finished this past season with 3,144 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air, but also 784 yards and 10 majors on the ground – both of which ranked first in the league among quarterbacks. The 23-year-old injured his left ankle late in the season, casuing him to miss the following game. While that was his only injury-related absence, it affected his mobility throughout the latter stages of the campaign. We learned in February that Hurts was going to undergo surgery.

Eagles Made “Competitive Offer” For Marcus Williams; Latest On WR, QB Pursuits

March 27th, 2022 at 11:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have signed edge defender Haason Reddick and wide receiver Zach Pascal this offseason and otherwise have been mostly quiet in terms of adding outside talent. But that hasn’t been for lack of trying.

As Tim McManus of ESPN.com (subscription required) writes, Philadelphia made an effort to sign former Saints safety Marcus Williams. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required), the Eagles made a competitive offer to Williams, who ultimately signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Ravens.

GM Howie Roseman also took some big swings at other positions. We already knew that the club nearly completed a trade for Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley before news of his gambling suspension surfaced, and according to McLane, the Eagles also had interest in WR Robert Woods. Woods was under contract with the Rams and was recently traded to the Titans, but Los Angeles gave him a say in his next destination, and he chose Tennessee over Philadelphia.

Precipitating the Rams’ trade of Woods was the club’s acquisition of Allen Robinson, whom Roseman also pursued. But Robinson, like Woods and most other notable players changing teams this offseason, elected to go elsewhere.

As McLane writes, the Eagles’ status as an also-ran when it comes to this year’s open market talent pool is perhaps a function of how players outside the organization view Philadelphia’s chances to compete in 2022. And, of course, a team’s chances to compete are inextricably linked to that team’s QB.

While it is unfair to exclusively blame incumbent signal-caller Jalen Hurts for the Eagles’ inability to make more FA or trade acquisitions thus far in 2022, McLane confirms that the Eagles were interested in Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, and he believes that Roseman will continue to do everything he can to find an upgrade over Hurts.

That could mean using one of his three first-round picks in next month’s draft on a passer, though McLane thinks that Roseman will not do so and will instead trade one of those picks to enhance his draft capital in 2023, when the QB prospects are expected to be better than this year’s crop. And assuming that the Eagles do not draft a quarterback this year, and do not view a trade candidate like Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield as a worthy investment, then Hurts will get another chance to prove his long-term value.

More Details On Deshaun Watson Sweepstakes; Latest On Baker Mayfield

March 20th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Rory Parks

Though there were four finalists for QB Deshaun Watson before the Browns and Texans completed the blockbuster trade that sent Watson to Cleveland, as many as 10 teams were reportedly interested in Watson’s services. In remarks he made following the trade, Houston GM Nick Caserio would not say exactly how many teams made inquiries, but he did note that the interest went beyond the Browns, Saints, Panthers, and Falcons.

“I would say there was a fair amount of teams, but what we tried to do was bring the teams that had a legitimate interest, and that was based off the compensation that was presented,” Caserio said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “I don’t want to get into the exact number, but there was a few more, however many teams than what everybody was reporting towards the end.”

Caserio’s comments confirm what had been reported all along: only clubs that were willing to meet the Texans’ steep asking price (three first-rounders and more) were granted permission to have an in-person meeting with Watson. While that seems like the only logical move in hindsight, it was quite a masterstroke by Caserio. Had he allowed Watson to meet with all interested clubs, regardless of proposed compensation, Watson may have decided to waive his no-trade clause for only one team, thereby undermining Caserio’s leverage. But as Florio observes, by having a “pre-qualifying” process, Caserio guaranteed that he would get what he wanted before Watson truly got a say in his next destination.

Per Florio, the Colts put feelers out to the Texans, but Caserio was not willing to deal Watson within his division. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that the Eagles remained interested throughout the process, but Watson was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause for Philadelphia, largely because he is friends with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and did not want to take away Hurts’ starting job. Wilson adds that the 49ers also placed a call to the Texans last year.

Caserio suggested that reports on the Texans’ being interested in players as well as picks in a Watson swap were at least somewhat overstated, saying, “I would say other than three first-round picks, I would say probably the rest of it was a little bit of speculation.” Still, Wilson reports that if Houston swung a deal with the Falcons, Atlanta CB AJ Terrell would have been intriguing to Caserio, and if the Saints had been able to acquire Watson, New Orleans OLs Erik McCoy and/or Cesar Ruiz might have been a part of the package heading back to the Texans.

In the end, the Browns, who were initially believed to be out of the running for Watson, were able to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler because they were willing to give him a contract — five years for a fully-guaranteed $230MM, which Wilson reports includes a $45MM signing bonus — that other teams were not comfortable matching. We heard at the time the Cleveland-Houston deal was consummated that the financial side of the equation became untenable for the Falcons and Panthers, and Wilson confirmed in a separate piece that Carolina was resistant to a fully-guaranteed pact.

Cleveland may have felt compelled to make such a bold strike because of an unsalvageable situation with Baker Mayfield. Mayfield requested a trade while the Browns’ courtship of Watson was ongoing, and when it appeared that Watson would not waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move to northeast Ohio, the Browns indicated they would not accommodate the request. However, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, Mayfield had no intentions of playing for the Browns in 2022 even if the club had not acquired Watson, and that reality could have forced Cleveland’s hand.

According to Cabot, the Browns had made it clear to Mayfield’s camp that they would pursue a top-flight QB this offseason, but that they were content to run it back with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft if such a pursuit were unsuccessful. Because it had been upfront with him about its intentions, the organization believed it could eventually smooth things over with Mayfield. As we heard last week, though, Mayfield declined owner Jimmy Haslam‘s offer to fly out to Mayfield’s home to discuss the situation, which was a clear indication that there was trouble in paradise.

Cabot further reports that the Watson situation and the team’s comments that it was looking for an “adult” at the quarterback position — thus implying that Mayfield is not, in fact, an adult — merely represented the final straw. Mayfield was said to have issues with HC Kevin Stefanski‘s play-calling and scheme, and as Stefanski will retain play-calling duties in 2022, Mayfield was prepared to skip the Browns’ offseason program and minicamp in an effort to force a trade to a team that has an offense more conducive to his skill-set. As Mayfield is eligible for free agency in 2023, the upcoming season is obviously critical for him, both from a financial and on-field perspective.

We recently learned that Mayfield would prefer to be traded to the Colts. Cabot suggests that, if Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard is interested, he may require the Browns to pay at least some of Mayfield’s $18.9MM salary, and since Cleveland has no choice but to deal Mayfield at this point, the team’s leverage in that regard and in terms of trade compensation is fairly limited.

Both Cabot and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times confirm that the Seahawks may be interested in Mayfield but are genuinely excited by Drew Lock, who recently came to Seattle in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos. As for the Texans, Caserio was non-committal when asked if Davis Mills, who started 11 games as a rookie in 2021 and who showed marked improvement down the stretch, would remain Houston’s QB1. Nonetheless, Mills is expected to open the 2022 campaign as the starting signal-caller, despite Caserio’s comments that the team is “starting from scratch” at the most important position in sports.

Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Undergoes Ankle Sugery

February 2nd, 2022 at 2:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jalen Hurts is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Eagles in 2022. Before setting his sights on offseason improvement, though, he is having surgery on his injured ankle, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra.

Hurts initially wanted to avoid the procedure, but not long after he was seen in a walking boot following the team’s playoff loss, surgery was agreed upon as being necessary. He injured his left ankle in the team’s Week 12 loss to the Giants, which caused him to miss the following game. While that was his only injury-related absence this season, it affected his mobility throughout the latter stages of the campaign.

As ESPN’s Tim McManus writes, Hurts was upfront in acknowledging the injury. “Clearly, I’ve been battling little issues with my ankle” he said after the team’s 31-15 Wild Card loss to the Buccaneers. “For the last part of the season whenever I came back after the injury, our offense kind of changed a bit. I wasn’t running as much. I wasn’t doing those things as much simply because I wasn’t able to get freaky like usual”.

The 23-year old finished the season with 3,144 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air, but also 784 yards and 10 majors on the ground – both of which ranked first in the league amongst quarterbacks. His overall performance has led the Eagles to publicly commit to him moving forward, though some feel they could still make a move (perhaps with some or all of the three first round picks they currently own in the upcoming draft) for a more proven signal caller.

Hurts is expected to make a full recovery in time for the team’s training program in April, setting him up for a second season as the team’s starter.

Eagles Reaffirm Jalen Hurts As 2022 Starting QB

January 19th, 2022 at 1:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

In his end-of-season press conference, Eagles GM Howie Rosemen made some comments that are certainly noteworthy, but also not surprising. As Around the NFL’s Kevin Patra writes, Rosemen has confirmed Jalen Hurts‘ status as the team’s starting quarterback entering the offseason.

When speaking about the 23-year-old signal caller, Rosemen said, “We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really, a first-year starter, second-year player, leading this team to the playoffs, [we were] tremendously impressed by his work ethic, his leadership” adding “we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horn, and he certainly did that“.

After struggling early in the year, Hurts helped lead the team turn a 2-5 record into 9-8 and a playoff appearance. In 14 regular season games, he completed 61.3% of his passes for 3,144 yards and 16 touchdowns, to go along with nine interceptions. The more notable aspect of his game, of course, is his rushing ability though – something that led to a great deal of production on the ground. He finished the season with a team-leading 784 rushing yards on 139 carries (good for an average of 5.6 per attempt) and an additional 10 scores. As his performance in his playoff debut showed, however, there is certainly plenty of room for improvement in the passing game.

Head coach Nick Sirianni doubled down on the support for Hurts, stating “Jalen knows where he stands with us. I thought he did a great job of getting better throughout the year… He knows he’s our guy”. The vote of confidence doesn’t come as a surprise to many around the league, although others have remained skeptical Hurts can be a consistent enough passer to be the starter on a contending team.

It is important to keep in mind that the QB market has yet to fully take shape for this offseason. The fact that some, or all, of Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson among many others may be available via free agency or trade – coupled with the fact that Philadelphia owns three first round picks – could change the Eagles’ plans. As Patra notes, Rosemen publicly supported Carson Wentz this time last year before trading him, and that “Roseman could shift gears if a potential upgrade materialized”. For now, at least, the Eagles are proceeding with confidence in the status quo at the quarterback position.

Jalen Hurts To Start For Eagles In Week 15; Panthers Were Interested In Gardner Minshew

December 12th, 2021 at 7:58am CST by Rory Parks

Despite QB Gardner Minshew‘s strong performance in last week’s victory over the Jets, the Eagles — who are on a bye this week — will turn the reins back over to Jalen Hurts when they return to the field for their Week 15 contest against WFT, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Hurts was unable to suit up for the Jets game due to an ankle injury but is expected to be healthy enough to resume his starting role next week.

The Jets’ defense is hardly the most difficult test for a quarterback, but Minshew did exactly what he needed to do to put himself back on the radar for QB-needy clubs by completing 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and throwing two TD passes. There may not be a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia at the moment, and Hurts’ play down the stretch will obviously factor into the Eagles’ long-term thinking, but even if the Eagles’ front office is content to move forward with Hurts, Minshew may have at least bolstered his trade value.

Per Rapoport, the Panthers called the Eagles about a possible Minshew trade during the season, not long before Carolina signed Matt Barkley and Cam Newton. The two clubs never got particularly deep into talks, but Minshew is expected to generate outside interest again this offseason.

RapSheet says that Minshew is generally viewed as no worse than a bridge starter, with the upside to be more. A team that misses out on one of 2022’s top trade targets or collegiate passers, or a team that is looking to groom a young QB, would probably be happy to give up a mid-round pick for Minshew.

The former Jaguars draftee still has a year to go on his rookie contract and will make a modest $965K in 2022, further enhancing his trade value.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Out For Week 13, Gardner Minshew To Start

December 5th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Rory Parks

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered an ankle injury in his team’s Week 12 loss to the Giants. While Hurts expressed a desire to play through the injury, Philadelphia will be safe with its QB1 and let him rest for this week’s contest against the Jets. Former Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew will start in Hurts’ place.

Minshew has only seen the field in one game this season, completing two passes for 11 yards in a blowout win against the Lions. This will be his first start since he suited up for Jacksonville in a Week 15 loss to the Ravens last year.

This is bad timing for Hurts. Just last week, in the wake of a stretch of solid play, it was reported that the second-year pro might have done enough to entrench himself as the Eagles’ starting QB moving forward, thereby allowing the club to use its considerable draft capital to build around him. Unfortunately, Hurts had a miserable showing in the Giants loss, throwing three interceptions and renewing the chatter about whether he truly is a franchise passer, chatter that was highlighted by a report concerning an organizational divide on his long-term viability.

Obviously, one bad game isn’t going to make or break Hurts’ future, but he certainly would have preferred to have a chance to bounce back against a porous Jets secondary. Instead, Minshew — who at one time looked like he might be the Jags’ long-term solution under center — will get a chance to reestablish his value.

A 2019 sixth-round selection, Minshew’s strong performance and charismatic personality made him something of a sensation in his rookie season. Filling in for an injured Nick Foles, Minshew ended up starting 12 of his 14 games for Jacksonville, completing 60.6% of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He also guided the Jaguars to a 6-6 record during his 12 starts.

The Jaguars took a clear step back in 2020, but Minshew still put up solid numbers. While Jacksonville went only 1-7 in Minshew’s eight starts, the Washington State product still completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,259 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He’s also shown some versatility outside of the passing game, collecting 497 rushing yards on 96 career carries.

After the Jags selected Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Minshew became expendable, and he was shipped to Philadelphia — which is always on the lookout for QB talent — in exchange for a conditional sixth-rounder in August. He still has a year to go on his rookie contract, and he will welcome any opportunity to continue to produce quality tape.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

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