Eagles Ramping Up Contingency Plans at QB

PHILADELPHIA - The goal is for Jalen Hurts to play on Sunday against the New York Jets, but the contingency plans have to be ramped up this week for the Eagles after the QB1 injured his ankle during a 13-7 setback to the Giants.

This is how Jalen Hurts hurt his ankle Sunday

You can see him limping after it, especially leaving the field after the loss

Nick Sirianni says they are hopeful Jalen will be able to play on Sunday but is not sure yet pic.twitter.com/kKvb9yNUZX
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 30, 2021

That means backup Gardner Minshew could be in play for Philadelphia.

“[Minshew is] in here (Tuesday) so we’ll talk to him,” offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said on Tuesday when discussing the situation. “But really we’re getting ready for Jalen (to play) and we’ll go from there.”

On Monday, head coach Nick Sirianni noted that the Eagles are in a wait-and-see mode with Hurts and will have a better idea by Wednesday's practice on his status after two days of rehab.

"He's sore right now," Sirianni said of Hurts. "Going to have more information for you on Wednesday. Not putting any time restrictions on him or anything like that. Again, we'll see how he's doing as the week goes. But, yeah, he was sore (after the game)."

While still early in the week, Sirianni has played the competitive-advantage card in the past when it comes to injuries and may want to keep the Jets guessing for as long as possible.

The Eagles also have a late bye week after the game Sunday, something that could have the organization pondering a two-week respite for Hurts to get healthy in advance of the final four games on the schedule which are all against NFC East foes,

Even if Hurts is able to play against the Jets, the injury could impact his mobility and limit the second-year signal-caller, something Steichen acknowledged.

“Yeah. He’s an explosive runner,” the OC said. “Obviously, he runs the football really well so we’ve got to work through those things.”

Minshew, 25, joined the Eagles since in August when the Eagles sent a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for a third-year player on his rookie deal with significant starting experience. He started as the third-string QB before being elevated to backup status when veteran Joe Flacco was traded to the Jets.

Minshew has been active for five games as Hurts' backup and saw mop-up duty in Detroit on Oct. 31 during a 44-6 blowout of the Lions. He played the final 14 offensive snaps in that game and completed both of his pass attempts for 11 yards.

Steichen claimed that the offense wouldn't change that much this week even if Minshew is forced into action.

“We’re going to run what we run and I think we gotta continue to do that,” he said. “We’ve been pretty efficient running the football. And obviously, we’ve got to get our pass game to where we want it to be.”

Reid Sinnett, who was claimed off waivers from Miami on the same day Flacco was sent to the NYJ, would be the backup to Minshew if Hurts is unable to dress.

MORE: Giving Gardner Minshew a Game Could Help Eagles Gather Intelligence

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.

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