Jalen Hurts’ season is over. Doctors found multiple blood clots in the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s lungs, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that Hurts will miss the rest of the year, a week after the team first disclosed what it called a superficial blood clot in his calf.
A joint statement from the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, laid out how much the diagnosis changed. Specialists in London first found a superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf. Further testing showed a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, and Hurts is now on blood thinners, which rule out any contact, including football, until he’s off them. Hurts had already been placed on injured reserve.
What the Eagles said about his recovery
The prognosis is the most important part. “He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations,” the statement read, per The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “Jalen’s prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery.” The team added that it anticipates no long-term effects and that Hurts will stay around the team at the NovaCare Complex and keep conditioning.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added a striking detail. Before the Oct. 11 game in London, Hurts was in the hospital until 4 a.m. and didn’t sleep, then played the whole game.
Tanner McKee’s team now
Hurts finished his season 89 of 154 for 933 yards with eight touchdown passes and three interceptions in five starts. Philadelphia is 2-4 and has lost four straight, the latest a 25-14 home loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Tanner McKee went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown pass in that game and was brutally honest about his performance afterward. He’s now the starter for the foreseeable future, with Joe Milton, signed off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad Friday, and rookie Cole Payton behind him.
We asked last week whether the Eagles should bring Andy Dalton back as insurance. With Hurts gone for the year, the bigger question is whether Howie Roseman goes after a veteran starter before the Nov. 10 trade deadline or lets McKee try to save a spiraling season on his own.
