Jalen Hurts continues to trend in the right direction toward playing in Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders.
The 26-year-old quarterback, who is dealing with a knee injury, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report. The practice marked the Eagles’ first of the week. His designation was an upgrade over his limited status on Wednesday’s injury report, which was an estimation because the team held a walk-through instead of a practice. Despite his limited status at the time, Hurts confirmed on Wednesday that he was on track to play against the Commanders.
Like Hurts, Quinyon Mitchell (shoulder) was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice. The rookie cornerback also said on Wednesday that that he will be “ready to go this Sunday.”
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Hurts and Mitchell aren’t the only Eagles dealing with injuries. Neither tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle) nor center Cam Jurgens (back) participated in practice on Thursday. Goedert observed practice from the Lincoln Financial Field sideline, while Jurgens was not present. Both players were listed as non-participants on Wednesday’s estimated report, too.
With Jurgens absent, left guard Landon Dickerson assumed his role at center in individual drills during the portion of practice that was open to the media. Tyler Steen, the second-year depth offensive lineman, took Dickerson’s typical post at left guard.
When Nick Sirianni was asked about his level of concern for Jurgens’ availability on Sunday, the Eagles head coach responded, “We’ll see where he is. It’s hard to predict these things this far out.”
However, Dickerson answered affirmatively when asked if he expects Jurgens to play against Washington.
“I mean, yeah,” Dickerson said. “I do. But I’m not a medical guy. I don’t know exactly what … y’all can ask Sirianni or [the] trainers. I don’t know exactly. As far as I’m concerned, I think he is.”
If not, the Eagles have a backup plan in place. The 26-year-old Dickerson said that he “knocked the rust off” in practice while taking snaps at center, the position he played for two seasons at Alabama. Dickerson last stepped in at center mid-game in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for just seven snaps when Jurgens exited with cramps.
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“It’s like riding a bike,” Dickerson said. “You go in, get a few snaps, knock the rust off, and then, hey, you’re usually good to go.”
Steen, the Eagles’ 2023 third-rounder out of Alabama, also has experience filling in at guard this season. Aside from the regular-season finale against the New York Giants when most of the offensive starters rested, Steen started in one game at right guard in place of an injured Mekhi Becton in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He entered games in relief of injured players and played the bulk of the snaps on three other occasions in 2024.
In total, Steen took 27% of the offensive snaps during the season, mostly at right guard. Thanks to his experience over the last two seasons as a backup, Steen said that he feels “pretty comfortable” at guard. He added that the time of year, regular season or postseason, doesn’t change the difficulty of filling in for a starter.
“I think it’s a little harder to do it during the game instead of getting the week of preparation, just getting some reps in there,” Steen said. “So I think just doing that kind of makes it a little easier. I think that we’ve been preparing the same way throughout the whole year, so I wouldn’t say it being a different time of the year makes it harder. Just preparing the same way.”
Jurgens has not missed a game due to injury this season. He did not play in the regular-season finale against the Giants while resting for the playoffs. In 2023 when he was the starting right guard, Jurgens missed a five-game stint on injured reserve while dealing with a foot issue and a sixth game due to a pectoral injury.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee/rest/illness), right tackle Lane Johnson (knee/rest), and edge rusherJosh Sweat (ankle/rest) were upgraded from limited participants to full participants on Thursday’s injury report. Britain Covey, whose 21-day practice window opened on Wednesday, was listed as a limited participant for a second straight day. Fred Johnson, the depth offensive tackle, missed Thursday’s practice with a personal matter.
The Eagles host to the Washington Commanders on Sunday in the NFC championship game. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.