The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out quarterback Jalen Hurts for the entire season after doctors found multiple blood clots in his lungs.
In Philadelphia’s Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, Hurts was accidentally cleated in the calf. After sustaining that calf injury, he received a precautionary ultrasound in London on October 10 that revealed a superficial blood clot. Despite this, the Eagles cleared Hurts to play.
After the Eagles lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, the extent of Hurts’ blood clot issues worsened, as a follow-up ultrasound revealed that the blood clot moved, leading Philadelphia to place Hurts on the injured reserve, which would’ve sidelined him four games.
But on Monday, after revealing multiple blood clots in the lungs, Hurts’ season is over, as his health is most important. According to his agent, Hurts will need to be sidelined for three months while he undergoes treatment. The good news is that Hurts is expected to make a full recovery, but once the doctors found the blood clots in the lungs, it went from a manageable issue to needing immediate medical attention.
What does this mean for the Eagles?
Philadelphia was already struggling before Hurts was injured. Without him? The task for head coach Nick Sirianni becomes a lot more difficult.
The Eagles suffered a 25-14 defeat in Tanner McKee’s first start in place of Hurts, and the backup quarterback wasn’t very good.
McKee was 26-of-45 passing for 215 yards and one touchdown.
It’s clear that he’s not the savior of Philadelphia’s offensive woes. But that was obvious before Week 6. McKee couldn’t even beat out journeyman veteran backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who was released and refused to return to the Eagles this week.
On Monday morning, Dalton signed with the Atlanta Falcons, proving that he won’t be an option for Philly.
The Eagles also signed Joe Milton off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, and he’s splitting backup duties with Cole Payton.
Even though it’s tough to run the ball with a limited passing offense, the Eagles should just spam Saquon Barkley. DeVonta Smith caught McKee’s touchdown, so that’s encouraging, too.
The NFC East is open because of how bad the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders have been. The New York Giants just showed that they aren’t unbeatable even though John Harbaugh found some magic with Jameis Winston after losing Jaxson Dart for the year.
Is there really a quarterback out there for the Eagles to trade for that would significantly change their season-long outlook? For now, it looks like the best course of action is to pray for Hurts to make a full recovery and bracing for the 2027 NFL Draft.
