For the first time since suffering his concussion on Dec. 22, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took the practice field on Wednesday afternoon.
How did he look?
“He looked really sharp,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “It was his first time back full-speed and we had a crisp practice. He’s been dialed in. He’s been limited with what he can do physically, obviously, but mentally he’s sharp and on top of it.”
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Hurts on Wednesday was listed as a limited participant in the Eagles’ practice at Lincoln Financial Field — and he is still technically in the concussion protocol — but he appears on track to play on Sunday in the Eagles’ playoff game.
That’s obviously a great sign as the No. 2-seeded Eagles prepare to host the No. 7-seeded Packers in the NFC wild card round on Sunday afternoon at the Linc.
Hurts, 26, lasted just 12 snaps against the Commanders in Week 16 before getting knocked out of the game with a concussion. He then missed the final two weeks of the regular season, which left some fans panicking about his status entering the playoffs.
But it’s looking like the Eagles’ QB1 will be ready for the playoffs.
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Like Johnson, left tackle Jordan Mailata also used the word “sharp” to describe Hurts’ first practice session since Dec. 20.
“He looked sharp, I’ll be honest,” Mailata said. “He looked really sharp, brought a lot of energy. He was out there in short sleeves. I’ve been in his position before with a concussion and when you miss time, you try and find ways to get back as fast as you can but I think he did a great job of dealing with that and coming back as sharp as he did today and I thought he had a phenomenal practice.”
In addition to Hurts, the Eagles are expected to have all 22 starters healthy for their first-round playoff game. That includes receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as tight end Dallas Goedert. That trio has played together for just three full games this season.
Smith on Wednesday said Hurts looked “good” in practice and he isn’t worried about any rust.
“It’ll be alright,” Smith said. “We’ll figure it out.”
While Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee played well in Hurts’ absence, the Eagles missed their starting quarterback. Just having Hurts back on the field on Wednesday gave the entire team a boost.
Even though Hurts has missed a couple weeks, Johnson said he could tell that Hurts has been locked in.
“You just see it in his face,” Johnson said. “You can see it in everybody’s face. Stout (Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland) was very enthusiastic today and turned up. [Hurts] is excited about our situation. We’re playing Green Bay, which is a great team. Our first game was a very close game. He was dialed in today. He looked really good.”
Hurts’ numbers this season might not blow you away but ever since the Eagles prioritized their rushing attack coming back from the early bye week, Hurts has been exactly the type of efficient quarterback the Eagles need. He turned the ball over 7 times in the first 4 games and has just 3 turnovers since.
And before the game where he suffered that concussion, Hurts had his best performance of the season, throwing for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Steelers.
“We’re all happy he’s back and he was happy he’s back,” center Cam Jurgens said. “It was good to have him back in the huddle.”
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