Eagles end up benefitting from rescheduling of WFT game as Jalen Hurts prepare for his return

It’s been a bumpy few days to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jalen Hurts is likely going to be the starting quarterback when the teams finally take to the field on Tuesday night.

The Washington Football team ended up dealing with a substantial COVID outbreak which started with unvaccinated EDGE Montez Sweat and resulted in 22 players sitting on the reserve list. This left to the postponement of the game which caused an uproar from Eagles players and fans alike…but it’s not all bad.

Jalen Hurts missed the teams’ most recent matchup, a win over the New York Jets, due to a high-ankle sprain. It was doubtful that he’d return in time to face WFT, even with the bye week. It turns out that the postponement of the game actually benefitted the Eagles, who will likely have Hurts back in the fold after some extra rest.

Nick Sirianni mentioned on Friday that he’d be hopeful of a potential return, but that extra rest meant that there was never any pressure to rush him back from the injury.

I feel pretty confident and feel really good about where he is at right now. The sooner you know the better, but that’s not always realistic. Sometimes you have to wait it out and sometimes you don’t have that liberty and you’re at the liberty of the ankle, the liberty of the player and how he feels, and what the trainers and the doctors and strength staff are telling you, too.
Again, feel hopeful with where Jalen is and the way he practiced today and the way he worked out today, so I’m excited about where we are.
Nick Sirianni talking on Friday

Gardner Minshew would’ve been the backup QB in the event that Hurts was unable to start and there were some who liked the idea of seeing what Minshew could do with two weeks implemented as the starter and a bye at his disposal, just to see how differently the offense functions.

While that’s certainly valid, the Eagles are pushing for a playoff spot and need all the help they can get. The rushing ability of Jalen Hurts has been absolutely crucial to the sharp rise of what is currently the second-ranked rushing offense in the league. He leads the team in yards on the ground but his impact goes way beyond that, with teams having to account for his presence in the backfield on any given play.

Outside of that, the team will also get to use both Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders out of the backfield on Tuesday night, with the pair ready to go after some doubts over their status earlier in the week. Quez Watkins will also feature having been able to return from the COVID list in the extended window.

Andre Dillard and Landon Dickerson will be on the COVID-reserve for this game, but the depth isn’t at a point of key concern just yet. Sua Opeta would be the backup guard if the team don’t move Herbig across to LG and providing that Brandon Brooks is unable to go. Former Colt, Le’Raven Clark will be the backup tackle in the event anything happens to Mailata or Johnson.

As for Washington, their COVID list reads more like a High School register and it’s gotten to a point where seven coaches are also on the reserve list. The number of players on the list has dropped from 22 to 16, but both QB’s, G Brandon Scherff, and starting CB Kyle Fuller are among them. DT Matt Ionnadis will be activated in time for the match.