Eagles’ Gardner Minshew named starter; Jalen Hurts sidelined against Dallas Cowboys

The last few days have been a whirlwind for Gardner Minshew.

The Eagles backup quarterback was in Mississippi on Tuesday, delivering a speech during his former coach Mike Leach’s funeral service. In the moments he didn’t spend honoring the coach he credits for much of his success, he was preparing for the Dallas Cowboys.

He studied plays and talked to his coaches over the phone, going through the game plan on his own while the team worked.

By Thursday, Minshew was named the Eagles’ starter for Saturday’s game in Dallas after Jalen Hurts was ruled out with a sprained shoulder.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said that Hurts made a concerted effort to return from the injury sustained against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but that Minshew would get the nod.

“It’s looking like it’s going to be Gardner,” Sirianni said. “Jalen did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go, and at the end of the day, he’s not going to be able to do it. He tried like crazy. I know he still wants to go, that’s just the toughness that he [has.] Jalen Hurts is the toughest player that I’ve ever been around.”

“Gardner will be our guy,” Sirianni added. “Gardner will be ready. Gardner worked his butt off for this opportunity against a really good football team. ... He’s ready to go.”

» READ MORE: ‘I’m all-in trying to win’: Gardner Minshew goes from looking to free agency to holding the Eagles’ playoff future in his hands

Minshew returned to practice Wednesday and got some meaningful time with the first-team offense. While Hurts was healthy, the overwhelming majority of Minshew’s practice time came running the scout team rather than developing chemistry with wide receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Quez Watkins. Minshew said Thursday that the group has made up for lost time.

“It’s been great getting those reps with the ones,” Minshew said. “I hadn’t gotten as much. It’s easy to get up to speed with great players. They make it easy on you, so I’m just trying to go out there and do my job.”

He even offered a detailed scouting report on Brown.

“He’s really good,” Minshew said. “It’s nice. He gets open, catches the ball. When you’ve got those two things going for you, like, quarterback-friendly.”

If the freshly shaved mustache that Jordan Mailata sported in support of Minshew on Thursday wasn’t enough of an indication, the quarterback’s teammates are enthusiastic about him getting his chance. Tight end Dallas Goedert, who is also considering going with just a mustache on the day of the game, said that the “ball didn’t hit the ground” during Minshew’s reps on Wednesday and that he was demonstrably celebrating with each pass.

Minshew said the added emotions of the week weren’t the source of his practice celebrations; he’s just letting his personality show.

“I try to be myself every day,” Minshew said. “I feel like I’ve been bringing that on the scout team every week in practice and helping the team that way. It’s a different group I’m with, but I think you do the same thing every day.”

The emotions are there, though. Minshew wouldn’t go so far as saying his game against the Cowboys would be a “tribute” to Leach, who recruited Minshew to transfer to Washington State in 2018, but said it would be special playing in Texas because Leach spent nine years at the helm at Texas Tech.

“I think it’s awesome going back to Texas, his old stomping grounds,” Minshew said. “Being able to compete there in the wake of his passing, I guess. Every time I step out there, it’s kind of Mike Leach’s legacy, the impact he’s had on me. I think I always carry that with me.”

» READ MORE: The Eagles have a ton of free agents on hold until Jalen Hurts’ contract extension gets done

Saturday will also present a pivotal opportunity for Minshew. The Eagles need just one win in the next three games to secure the No. 1 seed in the conference and a first-round bye week, and playing well could change the trajectory of Minshew’s career. After starting 20 games in the first two seasons of his career, Minshew has expressed the desire to become a starting quarterback once again.

After making two starts in Hurts’ absence last year, he approached Sirianni to find out how he could earn the starting role with the Eagles. It’s worth noting that Minshew is set to be a free agent this offseason when a handful of teams will be looking for answers at the position.

“Every time you step out there, that’s what it is, it’s an audition,” Minshew said. “That tape never goes away. So, you just go out there and try to help your team win. If you do that, I think everything will work out.”

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 16 game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday at 3 p.m. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday