Nick Sirianni gives the latest on Jalen Hurts, availability for Eagles versus Cowboys

Jalen Hurts suffered a sprained right shoulder against the Chicago Bears in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 25-20 win. With the Dallas Cowboys on deck Christmas Eve with the No. 1 seed on the line, there are questions whether or not Hurts could play or if the Eagles will go to backup Gardner Minshew. Head coach Nick Sirianni did not rule out Hurts for Dallas.

“I’m never gonna put a timetable on anybody and I’ll never put a timetable on him,” Sirianni said. “He’s got a sprained shoulder, and I do not put it past Jalen Hurts, I don’t put anything past Jalen Hurts as far as his mental and physical toughness, so there’s a chance he could play this week. He is one of the toughest guys I know. And he heals fast, his body is not like, pardon me, yours or mine, right? And so I’m shaming myself there a little bit but his body’s not like ours. 

“He heals fast. He came back fast from his injury last year. And, you know, I will not rule him out, will not put a timetable on him. And we’ll see. We’ll see what happens this week, but both guys will be ready to go if he can play this week and so will Gardner.”

Originally, Hurts’ status was in doubt, per previous reports. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane also reported that Hurts could miss the next two games against the Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.

“It’s about the healing process,” Sirianni said regarding what it would take for Hurts to return Saturday, compared to pain tolerance. “Like with Jalen, like he hurt that as you guys know, in the third quarter, and that hurt him. He was hurt. He was hurting and he had a freaking great fourth quarter. So, pain tolerance with this guy. I never worry about that. He’s an unbelievable competitor and has unbelievable toughness. 

“This is why every time there’s a question asked about Jalen, the first thing that you get, regardless of how he’s playing or whatnot, is about his leadership ability and his toughness, both mentally and physically. So, it will be more about the healing with Jalen than it will be about the pain because he can play through anything.”

Hurts was 22-of-37 passing for 315 yards, two interceptions, 61 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against the Bears. On the season, Hurts has 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions, a 67.3% completion percentage, 747 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

A win by Philadelphia clinches the NFC East and No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture, while a win by Dallas would keep the Cowboys’ division hopes alive.