EMERGENCY POD: JALEN HURTS PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE

What's going on, everybody? And good afternoon. And for the second time in an emergency pod, I say good afternoon, but it's not a good afternoon. As the Eagles have placed Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, this happens Saturday around four o'clock. The move, of course, sidelines Jalen for at least four games. We knew that Jalen was not gonna play against the Panthers already, but the report, or the move, I should say, comes after a report earlier in the day that they would not be placing Jalen on injured reserve. Ironically, the report is from the same people. So earlier in the day, Adam Schefter and ESPN and Ian Rapaport report that Jalen is not going on IR. And then Sunday, they report he is, and the Eagles announce the move a short time later. So obviously, a ton of takeaways from this. First is, you feel bad for Jalen Hurts, right? Jalen is somebody that I've covered his whole career, and I know people can have lots of opinions on him as a player, but I can tell you as a person, you feel awful for him. I've seen the work he puts in during the season. I know how hard he works during the off season. I know how much his teammates talk about how hard he works during the off season. And this was a huge year for him. Doesn't have a ton of guaranteed money in his contract next year. And we've talked about that a lot from the perspective of, it's a make or break year for him, is kind of what it was called. But now you feel awful for him because in a contract year where he, if he had a good year, and look, the year didn't start off great, but if he had a good year, he would have made a ton of money this off season. You feel bad for him personally, right? Just tough luck in terms of the timing of it. And then of course, I'm sure this is scary. I'm sure this is frustrating. He is somebody that hates to miss games. This will be the longest stretch of his career on the sideline. And you have to imagine, not that any injury is easy. I think it's weird to say, well, oh, it's just a hamstring. When these guys are hurt, I see them during the week. Like the pain they deal with during the week. But for it to be something somewhat rare, and for it to be something, not that any injury is in his control, but for it to be something like this, it has to be incredibly frustrating. And the good news is they're doing the smart thing. They're doing the right thing. The good news is they found the blood clot. So he has the best doctors around him. He has a team around him that will take care of him. So long term, obviously I'm not a doctor, but you feel good that he will be taken care of and things will be okay, right? But just you feel awful for him that this is happening. Like this is a huge four games for the team, and it was really going to be a chance for him to go out and do what he loves to do, which is play football and try to win games. So you feel awful for Jalen the person. He's won a Super Bowl. He's made huge money. So, you know, he's lucky in that regard. Not lucky, he earned that, but he's lucky that this isn't happening in the middle of 2024 or whatever, right? But you feel awful for Jalen. So Jalen out at least four games now. What does that mean in terms of the progression of the blood clot? Again, not a doctor, but I think the assumption was if this was going to require, you know, essentially taking blood thinner, I believe is what it was called, the medication that obviously helps with the clot. You can't play if you're on that because if you bleed, you could bleed quite a bit. So you would think that this means he's going to require a more serious form of, you know, treatment. So definitely sending positive thoughts his way. And like I said, he is someone that has done a ton for the organization. I know how much fans love him. And that's tough. This is very tough news in that regard. So Jalen goes on IR, it means he will be out until at least the Pittsburgh Steelers game, a winnable game for what it's worth. But I believe that's after the bye week. So, you know, they have games coming up. They have obviously the Panthers on Sunday. They then have the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. After that, they face the Commanders, a game that you're imagining now will probably get flexed out of. I think it was Sunday night football. Or no, it's not the Commanders, my apology. The Cowboys, yeah, it's the Panthers, the Cowboys, the Commanders, the Giants, and then their bye week. So look, four winnable games. We'll talk about that in a second. But Jalen can first return November 22nd against the Steelers. And I think at this point, it's fair to say you just don't know, right? We've talked on this pod about how the uncertainty right now is hard to deal with, I'd imagine, for fans. But this is not the type of information you want, but this at least provides some clarity in terms of how long he will be out, right? So Jalen gets placed on IR, and this, from the report, quote, The move will sideline the star quarterback indefinitely, according to sources. The Eagles, who officially announced the move Saturday afternoon, were waiting to make a roster decision until after consulting with medical experts, according to sources. Ever since Hurts started dealing with the superficial blood clot in his calf, the Eagles have been attempting to explore every option and gather as much information as possible. Hurts met with doctors and had other reviews blood clot and weigh in with their knowledge. At some time over the last 24 hours, additional information surfaced that made the Eagles believe the wisest course of action was to place Hurts on IR, giving him the time he needed to heal. The time he needs to heal, I should say. So Jalen's out four games. He will get treatment. Hopefully, at the end of the four games, he is ready to return to the field. And obviously, like I said, health first and foremost, and I think everyone agrees, hopefully, he feels better and he can continue his football career this season. But now, it's much like when Lane retired and I said, if Lane did this in the off season, we would spend a full week talking about the player Lane was. But when things happen in season, the tough reality is the football continues. And the Eagles, they have a season to play. They have four games coming up. They have a game on Sunday that they absolutely need to win. And I think this game becomes more important now. If they lose on Sunday and they drop to two and four, I think morale will be at all time low. If they can win on Sunday, they go to three and three, there can be hope that if they can stay afloat during the time he's out, if they can even play well, that maybe Jalen comes back to a team that's playing well, he's rested, he's healthy, and he's good to go. But now we know it'll be Tanner McKee time. And for Tanner personally, this is a massive, massive opportunity. Tanner McKee now gets to start, and we'll see if it is four games. Jalen won't play four games, but who knows what ends up happening at quarterback. But Tanner will get a chance to make his NFL career. If he can have four really good games, Tanner will make a ton of money this off season. And I know that's not of interest to the fans, but it just is a crucial opportunity in Tanner's life to make a lot of money, make life changing money, and potentially get a chance to start for a team next year. I know it's an uncomfortable conversation to have because of how it's come to be, but the reality is, in some ways he could be trying out for the Eagles starting quarterback job. If Jalen is out four games or even more, there is the reality of his contract beyond this year not being guaranteed. And if Tanner plays awesome, maybe the Eagles internally do think, should we make Tanner the guy? Now, the tough part about that is, the benefit of not paying Jalen money would be, you pay a quarterback that is cheap, right? Like, if they're going to pay a quarterback a ton of money, you might as well just pay Jalen. But if you're going to move on from Jalen, because maybe you feel you are already going to do that, and now he's hurt and now someone else steps in, Tanner is a free agent at the end of the year. So I think the chances Tanner is the starting quarterback next year are slim, just because I don't know if you're going to pay Tanner. But it is a huge opportunity for Tanner, and it's an interesting time. We'll get to see another quarterback in this offense. Now, the tough part about it is he's stepping into an offense, and obviously he's missing guys. Now, he'll have Devontae back, he has Dallas Goddard, he has Dontavian Wicks, he has McKay Lemon, he has Jordan Milata out there, he has Tyler Steen, so he will have some guys. But three of the offensive linemen will be rookies basically, Markell, Drew Kendall, I know Drew Kendall's not a rookie, and neither is Willie Lampkin, but neither have played a ton of football. They're, from a football perspective, essentially rookies. So what could the offense look like with Tanner? I think you'll see him try to get rid of the ball quickly. I think Tanner's superpower as a quarterback, if he has one, is his pre-snap recognition. I did the Players Lounge Show on WIP with Tanner a few times last year, and I'm sure if I sat down with any quarterback, including Jalen, they would blow me away with their football knowledge. But listening to Tanner talk, it was impressive, right? He's very good at breaking down X's and O's. Now, it's one thing to do it on the sideline and in the meeting room. It's another thing to do it out on the field. But I think the way it looks good with Tanner out there is pre-snap, he knows what he's seeing. The Panthers blitz a lot, so you're gonna get a lot of different looks in that regard. And if he knows pre-snap what he's seeing and he identifies it correctly, post-snap, he should have them in a situation where he gets rid of the ball quickly, and hopefully that offsets some of the offensive line needs. In terms of meeting the moment, Tanner has played in the NFL before. He's not played a ton. He obviously played in that half against the Cowboys in 2024. And then he started a game that was meaningless when it began. But then if I remember correctly, it was the Bears lost and the Eagles could have won that game. And it could have been a higher seed, if I remember correctly. And he didn't play well in that game. He was decent, I think, for the first half, not great in the second half. And I think it really showed his weakness, which is he's not a very good mobile quarterback. He's not good at avoiding pressure. He's not good at moving around in the pocket, right? So his superpower is gonna need to be pre-snap. His superpower is going to have to be getting rid of the ball quickly, getting rid of it accurately. And I do think he has a bit of an it factor to him. Guys in the locker room really like Tanner. I've talked to a ton of teammates about him, because again, I did the radio show with him. And both when you're interviewing them and you're just talking to guys, they speak very highly of him. I mean, Zach Bond last week, I believe, said he could have a Tom Brady arc to his career. So people feel good about him. Now, this week, I think you'll see, he doesn't have as much time to game plan, but that's the thing about the Washington game. Last week, last year in that game, they didn't really game plan a ton for it. They were focusing on the playoffs. They didn't really care about winning that game. Now you'll see them get to game plan with Tanner. Tanner will get to be part of the game plan. And they've got to do some of that this week, but it will really be moving forward. How will he look with a week to game plan? So look, Tanner's got a lot to gain here. That's just the reality of it. He has an ability to at least put his hat in the ring to be the starting quarterback after this year. I know that makes some people uncomfortable to hear, but that's just the reality of the situation. He has a chance to make himself a lot of money. So big weeks coming up for Tanner, but more importantly, big weeks coming up for the Eagles. And I still think the Panthers is a winnable game. The Eagles defense is playing really well. You can maybe shut down. The Eagles defense can keep the Panthers into the teens. I think the Panthers offense is attackable, and I think you could get into the 20s. Again, you have Devontae, you have Goddard, you have Donteving Wick. So I think next week is winnable. And then the benefit you have to hope for is they get eight days because they don't play till Monday night to prepare Tanner for that spot. And the Cowboys defense is really bad. Their offense isn't the powerhouse unit I think everyone expected it to be. And that's a winnable game. So I know this might feel like a glass half full way to look at it, but right now, that's how the Eagles have to look at it. And if they can win the next two games, the outlook is very, very different. But if they don't and they get blown out on Sunday and Tanner looks awful, this thing could absolutely spiral out of control quickly. They lose to the Panthers, let's say. Tanner looks bad. What do you do next week? Do you start Tanner? Do you start Joe Milton, who they just signed? Do you, I know this sounds crazy to say, do you trade for a veteran quarterback? Do you trade for like, I'm just thinking of a name here, like a Jacoby Brissette type guy, like Gardner Minshew, somebody who has started a lot in the NFL and you would just insert him. And it's tough because if you lose, you drop to two and four, I don't think you're reinvesting in the team. But at the same time, Howie's not good at punting on years, Jeffrey is not good at punting on years, and I know Nick won't want to punt on years. So it's an awful situation for everybody if this doesn't go well tomorrow. And I think tomorrow ends up being a really, really huge game from a morale perspective. They win and this thing can stay afloat. They lose and it could really spiral out of control quickly. So obviously, the first thought from this is Jalen and you hope he recovers and you hope in four games he's able to play. Some doctors say it could sign let him for months. There is a chance Jalen doesn't play a snap again this year. And if he doesn't play a snap again this year, there's a chance he never plays for the Eagles again. As crazy as that is to say, and I think we all hope that's not the outcome. You want to see Jalen be healthy and play in four weeks, but the NFL is a business, and if this thing spirals out of control, if they're two and five, two and six, they could be two and seven by the time Jalen comes back. And if he's two and seven, if they're two and seven, do you bring Jalen back? Do you put him back out there? Do you risk his health out there on the field? Or if Tanner's awesome for four games, the offenses look terrible for a year and change, if Tanner's awesome for four games, what do they do then? I think you give Tanner the job, but we've seen with Landon, they're not putting him back out there, even though I think he probably feels ready to play. And I know Jalen and Landon have some differences, obviously, Jalen's the quarterback, but I see similarities too. Landon was a part of that Super Bowl team. Landon is a huge part of the team in general. Landon helped them have the best rushing attack ever. His body broke down in part because of how he played through injuries, right? And now he's dealing with the ramifications of that, he might not get his job back. Jalen is different in the way that it's blood clots, but it's in theory the same. Both of them are going to be sidelined because of something unrelated to their performance. And the tough reality is both might not come back to their job, which Landon is finding out now. So tons of takeaways from this. With the game on Sunday, I think you focus on that a little bit, and maybe depending how that goes, we have more information and more ability to look at the big picture of this. But things change really, really quickly in the NFL, and you're seeing that right now with this Eagles team. But that also means it can change back. So again, you hope Jalen feels better, that's the first thought here. But this has tons of implications for the Eagles with him out now for four games. And a season that, I don't know if there was like a ton of hope from it, I think there's always hope, but a season that felt like a really big one for everyone is very quickly now slipping away, and this thing could get ugly quickly. So depending on when you're listening to this, the game might be today, the game might be tomorrow, but we shall see what happens in a pivotal day for the Eagles' upcoming season and really the future of their franchise. So that'll do it for the emergency pod. Tune in to WIP on Sunday at 11. I'll be on with Ike, Joe Giglio, and we'll be talking about all this. So until next time, he's Eliot, I'm James. Talk to you guys later.