Jalen Hurts has cleared the concussion protocol and will be available for the Philadelphia Eagles in their wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The 26-year-old quarterback, who has been out since Dec. 22 with a concussion and finger injury, returned to full practice three days before the NFL playoffs.
Hurts suffered the concussion during the Eagles’ loss to the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22 and left the field after his head hit the turf during a tackle. Hurts did not practice in Week 17 or Week 18; he was limited in practice on Wednesday but was upgraded to a full participant on Friday.
Under the league’s concussion protocol, a player must be cleared by the team’s independent neurological consultant before returning to full participation.
Hurts’ return is a positive for the Eagles, who played two games without their starting quarterback. Kenny Pickett took over as QB1 for Philadelphia’s win against the Dallas Cowboys before suffering a rib injury; Tanner McKee took over from there and led the Eagles to another victory against the New York Giants on Sunday. Pickett was limited in practice Thursday due to the rib injury.
The status of Green Bay’s QB1, Jordan Love, is also up in the air on Sunday. Love was also limited in practice on Wednesday with a right elbow injury, but was a full participant on Thursday. After Wednesday’s practice, Love said he “hoped” he would be able to play this weekend.
