When will Jalen Hurts return? Latest injury update on Eagles QB before wild card matchup

Admin January 6, 2025

The Philadelphia Eagles had aspirations of snatching the No. 1 seed in the NFC away from the Detroit Lions with three weeks left in the regular season, but without a healthy Jalen Hurts those dreams were put to bed.

Hurts suffered a concussion in the Eagles‘ Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders and has not returned to action since.

Philadelphia’s backup quarterback, Kenny Pickett, played the remainder of the game in Week 16 and started Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys. Tanner McKee closed out the Eagles’ regular-season slate vs. the Giants in Week 18.

The Eagles are scheduled to play Sunday during the wild card round. If Hurts’ absence is prolonged into the postseason the Eagles could be facing a short run for the second consecutive year.

Here’s the latest on Hurts, including updates on how long he might be in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Jalen Hurts injury update

On Monday, head coach Nick Sirianni announced during media availability that Hurts remains in concussion protocol.

The quarterback has not been seen at practice since suffering the concussion in Week 16.

The Eagles rested their starters and played third-string quarterback Tanner McKee in Week 18 after clinching the No. 2 seed the previous week. They defeated the New York Giants 20-13 as they managed to win with most of their backups.

NFL concussion protocol rules

The NFL’s concussion protocol is a five-step process that each player diagnosed with a concussion must clear before he can return to action.

Here are the five steps, per the NFL:

Symptom limited activity
Aerobic exercise
Football specific exercise
Club-based non-contact training drills
Full football activity/clearance

Philadelphia has not stated where Hurts is in the protocol. Although it is unclear what stage Hurts is in, Wednesday will be important regarding his availability this weekend. If he can’t get a limited practice by Thursday it won’t be easy to clear the protocol in time for Sunday’s game.