Report raises concern about Jalen Hurts' shoulder injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury. While he is expected to return in time for the playoffs, that does not necessarily mean Hurts will be 100 percent healthy.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Eagles are unsure how much Hurts’ injury will impact him when he takes the field again. Graziano wrote on Wednesday that he spoke with people familiar with the situation who believe the Eagles are confident Hurts will be back before the playoffs but “still aren’t sure about the extent to which the injury will affect him once he does return.”

Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder during Philadelphia’s win over the Chicago Bears two weeks ago. Gardner Minshew got the start in last Sunday’s 40-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has not ruled Hurts out for this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but it sounds like the former Alabama star could benefit from more time off.

The Eagles are 13-2 and remain in good shape to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round playoff bye. If they can do that with Minshew, they could, in theory, hold Hurts out for another three weeks before bringing him back for the postseason. Rust would be a concern at that point, but the alternative might be having Hurts play through pain.

One former NFL quarterback does not think the Eagles are much worse with Minshew at the helm. We may have more time to determine whether that is the case.