Jalen Hurts watch is officially underway, and it took a positive turn on Tuesday afternoon. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 17, and he seems to be trending upwards in terms of his Wild Card Round status.
Philly has been tight-lipped about his status. Head coach Nick Sirianni offered very little in terms of updates. Hey, there are no surprises there, right? During his Monday afternoon press conference, he said there was "no new information" on Hurts as QB1 is still in the NFL's concussion protocol.
Better news came on Wednesday. Coach Sirianni again met with the Philly media and finally gave everyone something. Jalen will indeed practice on Wednesday.
Nick Sirianni says #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will practice today. 👏 pic.twitter.com/OjfnDayZw6
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 8, 2025
Signs point towards Hurts playing even though he hasn't officially been cleared medically. Still, one of the Eagles' Tuesday afternoon transactions might be evidence that good news on their franchise QB is set to return.
Ian Book waived by the Eagles
Ian Book, a fourth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2021, was signed to the Eagles practice squad on December 26th. He was eventually elevated to the active roster after Hurts suffered the concussion vs the Washington Commanders.
The Eagles announced that they waived Book on Tuesday evening. That is seemingly a very positive sign that Hurts will return to action vs the Green Bay Packers. Without Book, Philadelphia will be left with its typical three quarterbacks, one being Hurts (assuming he will play). Tanner McKee and Kenny Pickett are the other two.
We have waived QB Ian Book. pic.twitter.com/l73SwzIR2R
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 7, 2025
If the Eagles weren't gearing up for Hurts to play, they likely wouldn't have let go of Book, Still, his release isn't the only encouraging sign sent from the organization this past Tuesday.
Also read: Sydney Brown's trek is a microcosm of the Eagles welcomed turnaround
Kellen Moore's fuels optimism about Hurts return
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said on Tuesday afternoon that the staff has been "in continuous conversations with Hurts, despite him being in the concussion protocol.
"I think our guys do an excellent process here as far as letting the medical side take care of their business and [the coaches] do our side of it," Moore said.
That isn't concrete evidence that Hurts is ready, nor is it unusual, but that combined with the Ian Book decision makes it sound as though Philly is preparing like they expect Hurts to be in the lineup.
Moore also spoke to the improvement that Hurts has shown since the Eagles' first matchup vs the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, saying that the Eagles QB1 has continued to "play really, really confident while protecting the football."
In 15 games played this season, Hurts, has thrown for 2,903 yards and 18 passing touchdowns, while also rushing for 630 yards and 14 more touchdowns. If the Eagles want to get past a Packers team that has proven to be sneaky good, having QB1 back in the lineup is essential.
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