Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may or may not be dealing with an ankle injury. Nick Sirianni exposed himself for lying about his signal-caller’s health during an extremely awkward press conference on Friday.
The NFL could choose to punish the organization and its head coach if it determines they were intentionally deceitful on its injury report earlier this week.
Hurts did not practice on Wednesday. He stood on the sideline in full uniform and helmet to watch Kenny Pickett take every single rep with the first team offense. It appeared at the time to be a decision that was made above his head.
Just didn’t go today. I just do what I’m told.
— Jalen Hurts on Wednesday
Based on what Sirianni said later in the week, the “rest day” might’ve had a direct correlation to injury. The entire thing is fishy.
A reporter asked the 43-year-old about the unusual injury report designation during his press conference on Friday.
We haven’t really seen Jalen be held back for load management before. What was behind that on Wednesday?
— Reporter
Sirianni immediately put his foot in his mouth.
Yeah, he was dealing with— it was on the injury report. Dealing with the ankle. And, you know, making sure we’re cautious with everything.
— Nick Sirianni
That was not true. Hurts was not attributed with an ankle injury on the report.
When the reporter pushed back on Sirianni’s claim, a Philadelphia staffer stepped in.
Reporter: “He wasn’t on the injury report with an ankle. I’m sorry, Jalen Hurts, it was an ankle injury?”
Sirianni: “What’s that?”
Eagles PR: “It was a rest.”
Sirianni: “It was a rest, yeah. Sorry. I thought you were talking about something else.
Reporter: “Is Jalen dealing with an ankle problem, then?”
Sirianni: “No. Rest.”
Weird.
Interesting exchange between Eagles HC Nick Sirianni and reporters this morning about Jalen Hurts:
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 8, 2024
Reporter: "We haven't really seen Jalen held back for load management before, what was behind that?"
Sirianni: "Yeah, you know he was dealing with a–it was on the injury report.… pic.twitter.com/RWdQnyUmIP
Maybe Nick Sirianni somehow confused Jalen Hurts with Jalen Carter. However, Carter is not listed on this week’s injury report. The defensive tackle was dealing with a shoulder issue.
To go even one step further, only two Eagles players are listed with an ankle ailment on this week’s report. Those players are Mekhi Becton and Ainias Smith.
Nobody outside of that building knows the full truth. Hurts supposedly sat out of practice on Wednesday due to “rest” even though his head coach said he was dealing with injury. That math doesn’t add up.
Hurts was visibly uncomfortable after getting sacked on Sunday and winced in pain as he limped off of the field. Maybe it was a bigger deal than it looked?
Jalen Hurts was slow to get up and wincing after getting sacked at a point in the Jaguars game. Wasn’t evaluated in the medical tent and obviously didn’t miss any snaps.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/qxBW4BV1CO
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 8, 2024
It is against NFL rules to lie on an injury report. Should this bizarre situation in Philly prove to be as suspicious as it appears, the Eagles could be punished.