The Philadelphia Eagles are hoping Jalen Hurts can return the team to greatness in 2021.
The team moved on from Carson Wentz, handing the keys over to last year’s second-round pick.
Hurts is not one of the many quarterbacks around the league getting the entire preseason off.
The coaches want him to get some reps and he did to the tune of seven pass attempts in last week’s preseason opener.
He was expected to get more Thursday night against the New England Patriots, but a concerning report came out before the game.
Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts is not playing tonight due to what the team is calling an illness. Joe Flacco started in his place.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2021
This news came after the team account showed Hurts arriving to the facility earlier in the evening.
.@JalenHurts is in the building‼#NEvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/dr4pm6oDCe
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 19, 2021
Being ruled out with any illness is a huge concern in the world of COVID.
Positive Update Comes Out For Eagles Fans
Luckily, it appears his illness is not COVID-related.
#Eagles say Jalen Hurts' illness is not COVID-19 related
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 19, 2021
This is a huge relief because a positive COVID test would mean plenty of others on the team would immediately be in a state of concern.
Couple that with all those people interacting with Patriots players and the NFL would have had a problem on its hands.
That is true regardless of vaccination status.
But it appears Hurts showed up not feeling well and everyone decided it was best for him to sit out.
That gave Joe Flacco the start, but nothing he could do should affect Hurts’ standing as the starter.
Hurts would have to struggle in the regular season for such a change to be made, especially to someone like Flacco.
This is not like last year where Hurts was the new young gun sitting behind Wentz.
Waiting For Official Word
This news is still fresh so it would be wrong to speculate on the state of Hurts’ health.
The most important thing here is the news it is not COVID-related.
Any sort of illness announcement since last March immediately leads people to think it is COVID.
More news should come out following the game or even Friday when the media can speak with the Eagles again.
As long as this is a short-term thing, everything remains on track for Hurts to get his shot to turn the Eagles around in 2021.
Missing a preseason game ends up not being a big deal if he can be out on the field for all 17 regular season games.
And if he can’t, fans can always rely on Flacco at their own risk.
NEXT: Should Eagles Fans Consider Carson Wentz A Bust?