Eagles sign quarterback Ian Book to the practice squad with Jalen Hurts’ status in doubt
With Hurts still in concussion protocol and backup Kenny Pickett nursing a rib injury, the Eagles have added another quarterback as insurance.
While dealing with injuries to Jalen Hurts (concussion) and Kenny Pickett (ribs), the Eagles shored up their quarterback depth on Thursday, signing Ian Book to the practice squad.
Book, 26, spent the 2022 season with the Eagles as the third-string quarterback behind Hurts and Gardner Minshew. He did not appear in a regular-season game and was waived at the end of training camp the following year.
”Really enjoyed our time with him when he was here,” Nick Sirianni said of Book on Thursday morning. “I’ve had some high hopes for him. Obviously, we didn’t keep him around, but that was for different circumstances for other guys stepping up and playing good. But really liked him. I just liked the person, liked the player.“
Most recently, the 6-foot, 212-pound Book participated in training camp this year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He did not make the initial 53-man roster and has been a free agent since the end of the preseason.
Book, the New Orleans Saints’ fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Notre Dame, gives the Eagles an emergency quarterback option if Hurts doesn’t clear concussion protocol by Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys and isn’t able to play. That emergency role is typically held by Tanner McKee, who figures to serve as the backup to Pickett if the latter quarterback starts despite his rib injury. Book would need to be elevated from the practice squad and active on game day to be the emergency quarterback.
Sirianni declined to comment on the statuses of Hurts and Pickett as of Thursday morning. The Eagles did not practice Wednesday, but the team released an injury report with status estimations, listing Hurts as a nonparticipant and Pickett as a limited participant. The Eagles will practice on Thursday at 2:15 p.m. and will release an injury report later in the afternoon.
In addition to signing Book to the practice squad, the Eagles added running back Lew Nichols to the practice squad and released defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields.