Eagles place Jalen Hurts on injured reserve after further blood clot consultations
Philadelphia changed course after further medical consultations, ruling its quarterback out for at least four weeks while his return remains uncertain.
The Philadelphia Eagles placed quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve on October 17 after further consultations about a superficial blood clot in his calf, ESPN reported. The move rules him out for at least four weeks, extending an absence that already included Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. ESPN said the Eagles announced the decision Saturday afternoon and expect Hurts to be sidelined indefinitely.
The decision changed Philadelphia's position from earlier Saturday, when the team was gathering more medical information and did not plan to put Hurts on injured reserve, according to an NFL.com report citing NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter. That report said a placement remained possible depending on what the team learned.
The move follows our report that Hurts was ruled out against Carolina after a follow-up scan showed movement in the clot. At that point, the Eagles were still assessing treatment. Injured reserve now guarantees a longer absence than the single game already ruled out.
When could Jalen Hurts return?
ESPN reported that additional information emerged during the preceding 24 hours and led the Eagles to decide injured reserve would give Hurts time to heal. It was not immediately clear what that information was. Philadelphia believes the clot is treatable, ESPN said, but Hurts' medical team will decide when he can play again. The team has not announced a return date or treatment plan.
According to ESPN, Hurts will miss games against the Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and New York Giants before Philadelphia's Week 10 bye. The Eagles expect to assess his health and their outlook during that break. Eligibility to return after four weeks does not establish when his doctors will clear him to play.
How treatment could affect Hurts' absence
CBS Sports interviewed Dr. Henry Han, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern, about superficial blood clots. Han said treatment for superficial thrombophlebitis could last up to 45 days if Hurts were taking blood thinners. That conditional estimate does not establish his treatment or prognosis.
ESPN reported that anticoagulants, commonly called blood thinners, are used in many blood-clot cases and would prevent a player from taking the field while using them. If doctors consider this clot minor enough, they might instead start with anti-inflammatory treatment and monitoring. The choice of treatment remains with Hurts' medical team.
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Sources and context
- Eagles to place Jalen Hurts on IR, as he deals with superficial blood clot, per reportCBS Sports; credits ESPN
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on IR due to blood clot, expected to be out indefinitelyESPN
- Jalen Hurts blood clot: Expert weighs in on Eagles' situation, and when QB could return to the fieldCBS Sports
- NFL Network: Eagles not planning to place Jalen Hurts on IR as they gather info on his blood clotNFL.com; credits NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.