The Jalen Hurts blood clot is going to keep the Eagles quarterback off the field for at least four games. Philadelphia placed Hurts on injured reserve Saturday afternoon and did not give a timeline for his return.
The move came after a round of consultations with doctors and outside experts that stretched into Saturday. Earlier in the week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the team had not even discussed IR. That changed once more medical opinions came in.
The problem traces back to Week 4. Hurts was cleated in the calf during the Eagles’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams and went to the training room on October 8 asking for treatment. He practiced in full the next day and was added to the injury report before the team flew to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After the flight and walkthrough, the Eagles ordered an ultrasound out of caution. It showed a superficial blood clot. Team doctors and doctors in London reviewed the results and decided Hurts could safely play, concluding that activity and mobility were important. He started against Jacksonville and went 21 of 40 for 220 yards and a touchdown in another loss.
Back in Philadelphia, Hurts practiced fully on Wednesday. That night, a second ultrasound found that the clot had moved. The team ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, and two days later the Jalen Hurts blood clot landed him on IR.
A superficial blood clot sits in a vein close to the surface of the skin. It is different from deep vein thrombosis, which forms in deeper veins and carries a higher risk of breaking loose and traveling to the lungs. Doctors who specialize in clotting still say superficial clots need to be taken seriously, especially once one starts to move.
The usual treatment is anticoagulants, better known as blood thinners, and NFL players cannot play while taking them. The Eagles believe the clot is treatable and say Hurts’ own medical team will decide when he returns, with the organization following that lead.
Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed it Friday. “Jalen’s health is of the utmost importance to all of us in this building, [we] care deeply about Jalen,” he said.
The timing is rough for Philadelphia. The Eagles have lost three straight, and IR means Hurts misses the Panthers game plus matchups with all three NFC East rivals. Tanner McKee, in his fourth season, is expected to start. McKee has appeared in six regular season games and is 1 and 1 in two starts, both in Week 18 games that did not affect the standings. The Eagles also signed former Cowboys practice squad quarterback Joe Milton and promoted running back Jaydon Blue from the practice squad.
Missing time is new territory for Hurts. He appeared in 48 of a possible 51 games from 2023 through 2025 and has been the centerpiece of the offense through every up and down. Now the Jalen Hurts blood clot puts Philadelphia’s season in the hands of a backup while its quarterback’s health comes first.
