Eagles announce Jalen Hurts will miss Sunday’s game vs. Cowboys with a concussion

Kenny Pickett, you’re up.

The Eagles are set to hand the reins of their offense to the backup quarterback as Jalen Hurts was officially ruled out Friday afternoon for Sunday’s game vs. the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Hurts suffered a concussion in the first quarter of last week’s 36-33 loss in Washington and did not practice in any capacity this week. He remains in the concussion protocol.

A situation like this — Pickett taking over in a big spot with the Eagles closing in on clinching the NFC East — is why the Eagles sent draft capital to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March to acquire Pickett, the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The trade was to shore up the quarterback room and make sure there was depth there in case Hurts, a quarterback who often runs with the football and takes contact, went down with an injury.

“We really liked the player,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Friday when asked what compelled the Eagles to move for Pickett in the offseason. “We liked him coming out of college and we liked the things that he did with experience as an NFL starter. You hear great things about him when you do all the draft work and everything like that. It fit us well.”

That theory will be tested Sunday. Pickett’s real debut with the Eagles — he had only previously played in garbage time — did not go smoothly after the 26-year-old from Ocean Township relieved Hurts a little more than five minutes into the game last Sunday. Pickett finished 14-of-24 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was far from perfect throwing the football but still had the Eagles in position to win the game. The running game, meanwhile, struggled with Pickett under center.

» READ MORE: Kenny Pickett vows to be ready for the Eagles if Jalen Hurts can’t play against the Cowboys

Things had been trending in the direction of Pickett starting for most of the week, and the Eagles had an entire week of practice to prepare Pickett with his first real reps with the first-team offense. The Eagles hope a full week of game planning for Pickett, in contrast to being forced into action and having to adjust on the fly, will produce a different outcome.

“I think anytime you get to work our plays against the defense that you’re playing against with the guys you’re going to be going with, that helps you,” Sirianni said. “It was a good week of practice.”

Pickett was limited in practice Wednesday with a rib injury. He was a full participant Thursday but was limited again on Friday.

In two seasons with the Steelers, Pickett played in 25 games (24 starts) and completed 62.6% of his passes with 13 touchdowns and an equal amount of interceptions. Pickett, to be fair, did not have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to throw to and did not have Saquon Barkley to hand the ball off to either. He also didn’t have nearly as good of an offensive line in front of him with the Steelers.

“It’s a big opportunity,” Pickett said Thursday. “Been working hard to stay ready. Felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation. Now having a week to practice, I’ll feel even better going into the stadium. I’m excited. Just want to get the win.”

The Eagles would clinch the NFC East with a victory or if Washington loses Sunday night vs. Atlanta. The Eagles likely would be locked into the No. 2 seed and could decide to rest some key players for the regular season finale at home vs. the New York Giants. That could give Hurts extra time to recover from his concussion.

First, though, Pickett is tasked with leading an Eagles offense against a resurgent Cowboys defense.

Wide receiver Britain Covey (neck) and running back Will Shipley (concussion) also were ruled out for Sunday’s game. Shipley, like Hurts, did not practice all week. Covey has been a full participant recently but has been dealing with a neck issue that has prevented him from playing in games. He did not practice Friday.

The Eagles could be without linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is listed as doubtful with an abdominal injury. Edge rusher Bryce Huff is the only other Eagles player with a game designation. He is listed as questionable as he works his way back from left wrist surgery. Huff is on injured reserve and would require a roster move to play Sunday.

A.J. Brown (knee/rest) was a full participant Friday, as was edge rusher Josh Sweat (ankle/rest).

The Eagles play in Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.