Jalen Hurts' Return to Practice Draws Reactions from Teammates

The QB made a surprise return to the practice field for the first time after suffering an injury on Dec. 18, and his teammates were happy to see him back out there

PHILADELPHIA – Dallas Goedert said he did his best to get an answer straight from the horse’s mouth on Thursday, the horse, in this case, being Jalen Hurts, the thoroughbred quarterback the Eagles rode to 13 wins before injury struck in Chicago.

The tight end was curious if Hurts would start on Sunday when the Eagles host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday (1 p.m./FOX).

“I tried to get a little bit out of (him), but he didn’t really say much. He kind of sat in his statue-self kind of look, stuck his lips out, nodded his head. I said, ‘I don’t know what that means, J.’ So, we’ll see. It’s still up in the air, but whoever it is, I like our odds.”

The odds that it could be Hurts rose a bit on Thursday when the doors opened to media for the open portion of practice at Lincoln Financial Field and Hurts was throwing the ball in individual drills.

Hurts was listed as limited in the practice with his ailing right shoulder, but being out there was something that excited his teammates.

“I was happy to see Jalen back on the field,” said running back Miles Sanders. “He’s still got to go as his body tells him to. We’re going to be ready whenever he’s ready, too, but the main important thing is to get rest and get as healthy as possible.”

Sanders was back on the field, too, though he was limited by a knee issue. The RB did not participate in Wednesday’s walkthrough, per the team’s estimated injury report that day, but said he should be good to go on Sunday.

As for Hurts, it’s still unclear.

Perhaps more will be known on Friday when one of the quarterbacks – Hurts or Gardner Minshew – is expected to talk with reporters.

“It’s always good to see (Hurts) because we know he’s the reason we’re here at this point,” said Eagles DE Brandon Graham. “You see him balling and you want to make sure we do everything we can to make sure we put him in a good position with our defense.”

Despite the excitement with Hurts being back at practice, the Eagles still support Minshew should he have to make a second straight start.

“I thought Gardner played a great game last week,” said Goedert. “Shoot, I mean, his completion percentage was good, his yards was good. We gotta limit some of the turnovers. I think we played a great game if we don’t have those. It’s hard to win with turnovers. And with another game under his belt, I think it will clean up even more.”

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