On draft night in 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked their own fans. They took a quarterback out of Oklahoma in the second round, and the pick was widely seen as insurance for Carson Wentz. Nobody in the room imagined the insurance policy would become the franchise. Six years later, that same quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is the reason a calf injury has an entire city on edge.
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“The Philadelphia Eagles are not planning to place quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, sources told @RapSheet and me, even as he remains sidelined indefinitely because of a superficial blood clot,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter wrote on X.
The fiasco began when Hurts suffered a cleat injury to the calf during the Eagles’ Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on October 4. He initially practiced through it the following week.
However, after the team traveled to London for Week 5 on October 10, an ultrasound revealed a small, superficial blood clot in his calf. Medical staff and independent doctors concluded it was safe for him to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But during a mandatory follow-up ultrasound on October 14, doctors discovered movement in the blood clot.
Because a shifting blood clot carries severe medical risks (such as traveling to deeper veins or organs), the Eagles immediately ruled Hurts out for the Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.
At the same time, insiders also confirmed there is no official timeline for his return as doctors evaluate a treatment plan (which may include blood thinners).
However, the Eagles are reportedly not placing Jalen Hurts on Injured Reserve (IR) for now. Skipping IR leaves the door open for Hurts to return before the team’s Week 10 bye if he recovers quickly, rather than forcing him into a mandatory four-week absence.
In the meantime, Tanner McKee is the immediate replacement for Jalen Hurts and will serve as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback beginning with the Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Eagles add depth to QB room amid Jalen Hurts’ indefinite absence
Following Jalen Hurts’ injury confirmation, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t waste much time making additions to their quarterback room.
They signed quarterback Joe Milton III to their active 53-man roster, poaching him directly from their NFC East division rival, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
However, since the Eagles signed Milton off another team’s practice squad, NFL roster rules prohibit them from placing him on their own practice squad.
As a result, the league mandates that any player poached this way must be signed directly to the active 53-man roster. Furthermore, he must remain on the active roster for a minimum of three games.
Although Milton has played only five games, he put together an impressive 2026 preseason showcase. Across three exhibition games, he completed 67.4% of his passes (29 of 43) for 378 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
The Philadelphia Eagles saw him as the perfect fit to strengthen their quarterback room in Jalen Hurts’ absence. However, while Joe Milton III adjusts to the Eagles’ playbook, he will be slotted in as the emergency third-string quarterback (QB3) behind interim starter Tanner McKee and mobile rookie backup Cole Payton.