Jalen Hurts spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Eagles’ Week 3 matchup against the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.
Quez Watkins and Boston Scott have been ruled out by the Eagles for their Monday night game against the Buccaneers in Tampa.
Watkins missed practice all week after suffering a hamstring injury in the Vikings game. Scott suffered a concussion in the Minnesota game and returned to practice on a limited basis the last two days but has also been ruled out. Players in the NFL’s concussion protocol are able to participate in non-contact drills as part of the final phase before they’re fully cleared.
Watkins, who caught 76 passes for 1,018 yards and three TDs in 2021 and 2022, has two catches for 17 yards in two games this year. Scott, who has 1,773 scrimmage yards since joining the Eagles in 2018, has 43 rushing yars on six carries so far this year.
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Watkins is one of only five players who’s played in all 40 games since Nick Sirianni became head coach in 2021. The others are Jason Kelce, Rick Lovato, DeVonta Smith and Milton Williams.
With Watkins out, free agent acquisition Olamide Zaccheaus becomes WR3 behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Zaccheaus, who caught 40 passes for 533 yards and three TDs for the Falcons last year, doesn’t have a catch or a target so far this year with the Eagles. After averaging 44 snaps per game in Atlanta last year, Zaccheaus has averaged just 21 for the Eagles this year.
“Obviously, Quez brings a type of speed that not a lot of people have,” Sirianni said Saturday. “I like what O.Z. brings to our offense. He brings a toughness. We trust him. He's a savvy route runner. He's got great football instincts. If it's his turn to play this week, I've got a lot of faith in him that he'll do a really good job.”
Eagles News
The only other receiver on the 53-man roster is punt returner Britain Covey, who has never caught a pass or been targeted in his NFL career. Covey played 19 offensive snaps last year.
The Eagles have three receivers on the practice squad, and they could elevate one of them since Covey is now on the 53 and doesn’t have to be elevated.
Devon Allen and Joseph Ngata haven’t played in an NFL game, but Greg Ward has 88 receptions for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns since first joining the Eagles in 2017. His best season was 2020, when he led the Eagles with 53 catches and six TDs. His last reception was on the final day of the 2021 season against the Cowboys.
Brown, Smith, Zaccheaus and Ward are the only wide receivers on the roster and practice squad who have caught a pass in an NFL game.
The Eagles will be without Scott, but Kenny Gainwell – who netted 74 scrimmage yards in the opener in New England – was a full participant at practice Saturday after missing the Vikings game with a rib injury and doesn’t carry an injury designation. So the Eagles will have D’Andre Swift, Gainwell and Rashaad Penny available in the backfield.
Reed Blankenship (ribs) and James Bradberry (concussion), who also missed the Vikings game, were all full participants at practice on Friday and are expected to play.
Additionally, Fletcher Cox (ribs), Zach Cunningham (ribs), Jordan Davis (ankle), Smith (hamstring/thigh), Jack Stoll (ankle) and Josh Sweat (toe), who were all limited Friday, were full participants Saturday and don’t carry an injury designation.
Additionally, Terrell Edmunds, who missed practice Thursday and Friday with an illness, was a full participant and is expected to play.
