Nick Sirianni Appears to Hint at Jalen Hurts Ankle Injury Before Backtracking

Hurts was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to rest.
Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni speaks to the media from the NovaCare Complex before the team's practice session on Friday, November 8, 2024.
Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni speaks to the media from the NovaCare Complex before the team's practice session on Friday, November 8, 2024. / Screengrab Twitter @DiBonaNFL

While speaking to reporters from the NovaCare Complex before the team's Friday practice session, Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni appeared to accidentally reveal that star quarterback Jalen Hurts is dealing with an ankle injury before backtracking.

The interesting exchange began when a reporter pointed out that Hurts, who on Wednesday was listed as a limited participant at practice for rest, rarely ever misses practice for "load management."

Sirianni then seemed to indicate that an injury, and not rest, led to the limited session.

"Yeah, he's dealing with the ... it was on the injury report ... Dealing with the ankle and just making sure we're cautious with him," Sirianni said.

Confusion then descended upon the room, as multiple reporters noted that Hurts wasn't listed with any injury before one reporter finally asked Sirianni if Hurts did, in fact, have an ankle ailment.

A member of Eagles public relations then jumped in, clarifying that Hurts's listing was for rest, prompting Sirianni to backtrack.

"It was a rest, yeah," Sirianni said. "Sorry. I thought you were talking about something else."

When pressed again if it was an ankle injury, Sirianni again insisted Hurts was rested at Wednesday's practice.

As it turns out, a league source told Tim McManus of ESPN that Hurts has been managing a "mild ankle issue" for the past couple of weeks.

Philadelphia, not alone in this practice, likely listed Hurts as limited for rest in an effort to keep the injury under wraps. But Sirianni's slip-up pulled the curtain back.

Now, Hurts's injury is likely—at the very least—to be a talking point heading into Sunday's divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. At most, it could invite a call from the league office.

According to the NFL's Personnel Report Policy, "All players who have reportable injuries must be listed on the Practice Report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game."


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.