After sitting out the preseason opener, how likely are we to see Jalen Hurts play in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ second preseason contest? The Eagles take on the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night; here is all we know about the chances of Hurts appearing.
Will Jalen Hurts Play in Second Preseason Game?
According to Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal, it looks as if the work Hurts put in during the team’s joint practices with the Browns was enough for the coaches not to risk the quarterback in an NFL preseason game.
We have seen more teams over the years adopt this style of load management, where they prefer good competitive work against another opponent, but while still having it be a controlled situation in a practice environment.
The goal in mind is to keep their quarterbacks upright and uninjured and still put them in pressure situations versus unfamiliar competition.
How To Watch Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
Start time: 7 p.m ET
Channel: NFL Network and NFL+
Who Will Play Instead of Jalen Hurts?
The Eagles currently have four quarterbacks on the roster, and with Hurts not playing tonight, the other three are prepared to share the load for tonight’s matchup with some intriguing roster battles to watch for.
First up will be NFL veteran and former first-round pick, Marcus Mariota. Mariota was the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons last season. His tenure in Atlanta was a short one, and the Falcons turned the team over to second-year QB Desmond Ridder, forcing Mariota to travel to Philadelphia for another chance.
The projected next man up after Mariota will be second-year quarterback out of Notre Dame, Ian Book. Book has been with Philadelphia since late last season and has a challenge ahead of him to make this Eagles roster.
Book’s main competitor is the fourth quarterback on the roster, Tanner McKee. McKee was drafted by the team this year in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and all indications are that the Eagles are hoping to see growth and to help develop the young signal-caller, making for a tough numbers game for Book to latch on to a roster spot.
No matter how the back of the QB depth chart shakes out, the Eagles are comfortable with their QB1. With this in mind, we don’t expect to see much of Hurts, if at all, during this year’s preseason games.