Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night, as the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the New England Patriots.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t take the field last week, as Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee were the two Eagles quarterbacks who saw action against Baltimore. Will Hurts be playing tonight, though?
Latest on What We Know About Jalen Hurts’ Status Against New England
Considering how the Eagles have used Hurts in prior preseasons, seeing him in action Thursday night isn’t too likely.
Last year, Hurts didn’t make a preseason appearance at all, as it appears head coach Nick Sirianni isn’t a fan of playing his no-doubt starters.
All across the league, there are different philosophies about whether to play starters in the preseason. Some coaches believe that reps are invaluable, regardless of the player’s rank on the depth chart.
Others want to keep their stars healthy, and leaving them out of preseason action is one way to prevent injury.
Hurts is entering his fifth season with the Eagles, and with both of his primary pass catchers (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith) remaining the same, building up chemistry in preseason isn’t as necessary as if the Eagles were running out a completely new set of offensive weapons.
One thing that raises a question on whether Hurts and the majority of Philadelphia’s starting offense will see the field is because of their new offensive play-caller Kellen Moore.
Most recently, Moore was offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, leading the team’s offense for just one season. Last year in Los Angeles, Moore’s offense ranked 21st in points scored and 18th in offensive yards, resulting in the Chargers’ first losing season since 2020.
This year, Moore pairs up with a much stronger group, as Hurts, Brown, and Smith are one of the top offensive trios in the league.
Ahead of this week’s preseason matchup, the Eagles and Patriots partook in joint practices, giving the starters a chance to practice against non-teammates. Practicing against the same players each day heading into the season makes lining up against people in different helmets that much more important.
However, for the game itself, there shouldn’t be an expectation to see Hurts if history repeats itself from last season. Hurts hasn’t played in a preseason game since Aug. 12, 2022, seeing action in the Eagles’ third preseason game against the New York Jets.
If Philadelphia wants to see Hurts executing Moore’s offensive game plan in a more game-like setting than a joint practice, it’s possible to see him in a limited fashion.