With Hurts in the concussion protocol, he'll have to clear a five-step process before returning to game action for the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts remains in the concussion protocol after he suffered a concussion just over five minutes into the Eagles' 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
His status for the team's Week 17 home game Sunday vs. Dallas is not yet clear.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not have any new updates on Hurts during his Monday afternoon day-after press conference other than to say the quarterback is in the league's protocol.
"When that happens, we just lean on the doctors to let us know on a daily basis where he is," Sirianni said.
What happens next is determined by the NFL's return-to-participation protocol, a five-step process players must progress through before being cleared to return to the field. Phase 1 will have Hurts avoiding physical and cognitive activities that increase or aggravate concussion symptoms. Next is aerobic exercise under supervision of the team's medical staff, then onto football-specific exercises. Phase 4 is non-contact football activities before progressing to Phase 5, which is clearance for a full return after examination by an independent neurological consultant.
All of that is to say Hurts, like most players coming off a head injury, is unlikely to be practicing in full with his teammates before the very end of the practice week at the earliest.
"What I've seen is Jalen knows how to prepare, knows how to get himself ready, is a true pro," Sirianni said when asked if Hurts could play in Sunday's game vs. Dallas without practicing.
Hurts was injured on a designed run on the Eagles' second offensive drive. Hurts didn't slide and instead plowed forward when meeting with a pair of Washington defenders, including linebacker Frankie Luvu. Hurts' head appeared to hit the ground with some force.
Protecting himself when he's running with the football is an area the Eagles have stressed to Hurts over the last few seasons and Sirianni said he has mostly done a good job doing so.
"Anytime something goes down and you lose when of your best players, you wish they'd do something else or not take that hit in that scenario," Sirianni said. "We always run runs that protect him and we always want him to protect himself."
It's increasingly unusual for a player to miss the next game after a concussion, but there is precedent for it happening with the Eagles this season. Both DeVonta Smith and Lane Johnson were concussed during a Week 3 win in New Orleans but missed the team's following game in Tampa, which preceded a Week 5 bye.
If Hurts can't go, the Eagles would likely stick with Kenny Pickett as the starter. Pickett suffered an injury to his ribs during Sunday's loss, but said he was not worried about his status moving forward. Pickett finished 14-for-24 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The offense did not run smoothly with him in the game. The Commanders successfully stacked the box and took Saquon Barkley and the Eagles' running game off the table, forcing Pickett to beat them with his arm. He nearly did, but too many miscues both on offense and in other areas of the game prevented the Eagles from their 11th consecutive victory and kept Washington's slim hopes alive to overtake the Eagles for the NFC East crown.
" READ MORE: Something or nothing? Analyzing the Eagles' sloppy loss vs. Commanders, from not-so special teams to a shaky run game
Take Barkley's long touchdown run out of the equation, and Pickett failed to efficiently move the Eagles down the field. His best drive was aided by multiple pass interference calls. Still, the Eagles had a chance to win the game.
The Eagles are obviously a much different team with Pickett taking snaps instead of Hurts, though Sirianni wasn't going to go into great detail to explain the obvious. The coach expressed confidence in Pickett should he have to play again on Sunday.
"There will be an adjustment that we'll have to go through," Sirianni said. "Every time there's a player out there's an adjustment to be made.
"Kenny did some really good things yesterday. Obviously we missed Jalen. Jalen is a great football player who has had a lot of success and led us to a lot of victories."