Hurts out for Week 6 due to superficial blood clot

This would effectively end Hurts’ season, as a three-month absence would have him on track to return some time in late-January/early-February. In a statement released by Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lyyn, she said further tests revealed “deep vein thrombosis as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli.” She said that Hurts is stable and is not expected to have any “functional limitations” and that his treatment to resolve his blood clotting issues “should only involve anticoagulation [i.e., ‘blood thinners’].” As a result, Hurts will not be permitted to engage in football activities and will not be allowed to resume them until he is off his blood thinners. The good news here is that Hurts is expected to make a full recovery, and the doctors do not believe this will have a long-term effect on him moving forward. Hurts threw for 933 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions this season while completing 57.8 percent of his passes — his lowest mark since his rookie season. He ran for another 107 yards and one touchdown as he and the Eagles struggled in his first five starts under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. He remains under contract through the 2028 season, but Hurts has faced his fair share of scrutiny since leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in 2024. Hurts’ contract situation would suggest his job is more than secured for the foreseeable future, but this is the same Eagles front office that used a 2020 second round pick to select him as the heir apparent to Carson Wentz, who signed a four-year extension with the team in 2019. While we fully expect Hurts to be back with the Eagles next season, we can’t rule out the team using an early draft pick on a quarterback in a draft that is projected to be one of the more QB-rich drafts in recent memory. Tanner McKee, who started Week 6’s game against the Panthers, will take over as the team’s starter going forward.

The very first play of the game was a play-action pass where McKee was sacked for an 11-yard loss. That began what was a rough first half for McKee, but he made some nice throws in the second half, including a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw to DeVonta Smith for a touchdown. When McKee wasn’t under pressure, he was happy to stand in the pocket and take shots down the field, which helped Smith and Dallas Goedert put together usable fantasy days, but McKee obviously does not avoid pressure in the pocket the way that Jalen Hurts does. He could put together a solid day next week against a vulnerable Cowboys defense.

Whelp, that reversed course quickly. It was reported earlier Saturday that the team was not planning on placing their franchise quarterback on injured reserve, with the team going back on those comments less than seven hours later. Although not yet fully evident, it appears as if additional information was ascertained during the day. There is no telling how long Hurts will be away from the team, with most recent reporting simply labeling it an “indefinite” absence. Tanner McKee steps into the starting role and could be worthy of deep league consideration as a QB2, for the foreseeable future.

While Hurts still has no timetable to return, the Eagles haven’t even discussed the possibility of placing him on injured reserve, according to Schefter. That could change as there’s still a possibility Hurts could wind up on injured reserve if that’s where the medical information leads them. Most blood clots are treated with anticoagulants (blood thinners), which would sideline Hurts for a minimum of six weeks, according to Schefter’s sources. The best-case scenario, according to Schefter, seems to be if the blood clot is minor enough that doctors could begin treatment with anti-inflammatories. Two team doctors that Schefter polled also speculated that the 28-year-old quarterback could miss six weeks. Tanner McKee is in line to start at least a few games while Hurts is out.

Fowler reportedly spoke to “some people who are hopeful” that Hurts can avoid injured reserve. He described the situation as being “very much touch and go” and said Tanner McKee will “probably” start multiple games. The Eagles go on bye in Week 10, so if Hurts does land on injured reserve, the Eagles’ Week 11 game against the Steelers would be his earliest possible return.

Hurts’ blood clot was initially a superficial issue in his calf. Unfortunately, the clot has moved and the situation now appears to be quite serious and, per Rapoport, “scary.” Rapoport said Hurts will now undergo treatment, “which, a lot of times, is blood thinners.” If that treatment option is deemed necessary, Hurts would not be allowed to play. Rapoport believes Hurts will be sidelined in Week 6 “and likely beyond.” Tanner McKee is his replacement.

McKee, 26, is a towering pocket passer (6'6/231) with 97 career dropbacks. He has two career starts and has made appearances in two other contests, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt and a 73.8 percent adjusted completion rate. McKee was the subject of trade rumors last offseason, but luckily, the Eagles kept him. He faces a Panthers secondary missing its two starting perimeter cornerbacks, though he has almost exactly 72 hours to get himself ready and the Eagles’ pass-catching corps is banged up. He is a viable QB2 in superflex formats, but he offers a wide range of potential outcomes. McKee is backed up by rookie Cole Payton. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo thinks the team could reunite with Andy Dalton, whom they released last week.

Dalton is “an option” for the Eagles, who are down to two available quarterbacks this week, Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton, with Jalen Hurts having been ruled out preemptively due to a superficial blood clot in his calf. The Eagles released Dalton last week. A few teams have reportedly checked in with Dalton since his release, “though there’s familiarity and a clear role in Philly for him if he decides to return.”

Hurts added a grand total of two yards on the ground. The Eagles even seemed afraid to use him for tush pushes, opting for a shotgun handoff on an early fourth-and-one. The bulk of Hurts’ production through the air came on a single deep shot to Darius Cooper. Hurts’ pass was actually a bit off the mark, but Cooper adjusted well and sprinted into the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown. Hurts had Dontayvion Wicks wide open for his second long score of the day late in the third quarter, but an all-out blitz forced him to throw off his back foot and he overshot the attempt. A field goal with eight seconds left on the clock still should have been enough to win the game. Philly’s kick coverage unit then got burned by Ameer Abdullah, setting up a walk-off kick from Cam Little. The Philly offense is as lifeless as they come. Even if DeVonta Smith returns for Week 6 versus the Panthers, Hurts will fail to crack the top-12 at quarterback for the first time in years.

Hurts popped up with a calf injury on Friday, but practiced in full and seems to be expected to play. Tanner McKee, now the only game in town after Andy Dalton’s release, would take over if necessary on Sunday. It doesn’t sound like anything to be overly worried about at this point, though.