It's Beginning to Look Like Gardner Minshew Will Make Second Straight Start

Sunday's game with Washington is still a few days away, but Jalen Hurts didn't appear to be moving well at Thursday's practice

PHILADELPHIA – It started to feel on Wednesday like Eagles backup quarterback Gardner Minshew might get a second straight start.

During Thursday’s practice, it started to look like it might happen.

Jalen Hurts didn’t appear to be moving very well.

Now, either the QB is lobbying for a daytime Emmy and was putting on a show for the media gathered to watch the first 15 minutes of practice, or he is actually still limited with a sprained left ankle.

It’s likely the latter, and if it is, Minshew would follow up his first start with the Eagles on Dec. 5 against the New York Jets and start Sunday’s home game against the Washington Football Team.

Nick Sirianni, who surprised many on Wednesday by saying the two quarterbacks will split first-team reps that day because he wasn’t sure about Hurts’ ankle, will talk to reporters on Friday and perhaps shed further light on his starter. 

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More likely, the Eagles head coach will play the competitive advantage game and keep Washington somewhat in the dark.

If Thursday’s small-window look at Hurts is any indication, it will be Minshew.

Gardner Minshew in Week 13 vs. Jets / USA Today

Hurts wasn’t seen doing much side-to-side work during drills and he looked a tad gimpy when doing drop-back work. It’s likely the ankle is heavily taped, so maybe that was part of it. Also, the game is still a few days away so there is time for him to his ankle to continue to improve.

He has, however, been listed as limited on the team's practice report the past two days.

“I don’t want to get into the details of the injury,” said Hurts when asked for more details about it on Wednesday. “I told you guys I’m dealing with something, and I am dealing with something. Going forward it’s just being available for the team and being available. Working towards that every day.”

Another indication that Hurts may still not be 100 percent came from tight end Dallas Goedert when he talked to reporters prior to Thursday’s practice.

“Coming off a bye week, he was able to spend a week here rehabbing and stuff like that,” said Goedert. “We’ve only been back (Wednesday), really, and he was doing everything he could to get back.

“He was limping around a lot less than he was a week ago or whatever. I think there’s no doubt about him, the competitor that he is, he wants to be playing, and whatever he has to do to play, he’ll do it.”

Now, does that imply Hurts isn't limping at all or just less?

Goedert added, ideally, it would be nice to know who the quarterback is going to be during the week but pointed out that the team didn’t know Hurts wasn’t going to play and Minshew would start against the New York Jets until just hours before kickoff of their last game.

“Is it nice to know who your quarterback is? Kind of, but it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Just like when we played the Jets, we didn’t know until pretty much a game-time decision of who it was going to be. Then you just have to go out there and focus on what you can get better at each day, and not worry about other factors that you can’t control.”

Goedert had a career-high 105 yards receiving and touchdowns of 36 and 25 yards with Minshew at the helm of the Eagles’ 33-18 win over New York in Week 13.

The tight end said the high production totals were just the way the Jets played them, not so much Minshew looking to get him the ball more than Hurts would have.

“We kind of knew what to expect,” he said. “We had some good calls against good defenses. And we took advantage. And I just told Gardner, ‘When you’re in doubt, just throw it to me and I’ll go get it.’ He did that a few times. It was just play-call, and he was just trying to find me.”

Rookie receiver DeVonta Smith, who had just two catches on four targets for 15 yards with Minshew, was asked if there was any difference between the two QBs.

“Those guys, they prepare,” he said. “He came in, he got the job done. He came in and did the things he was supposed to do. They’re totally different quarterbacks. Jalen’s going to run more, Gardner is going to sit back there and throw, but they both prepare.”

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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.