Eagles' Hurts clears protocol, set to face Packers

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has made it through the concussion protocol and will play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, coach Nick Sirianni said Friday.

Hurts had appeared to be on track to play in the wild-card round after he was a full participant in practice Thursday. He had returned to practice as a limited participant Wednesday, when left tackle Jordan Mailata said the quarterback “looked sharp.”

Sirianni said Friday that Hurts was out of the protocol and “ready to roll” against the Packers.

Hurts sustained a concussion in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22 and had sat out the Eagles’ final two games of the regular season.

While also playing late in the season with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, Hurts threw for 2,903 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw only one interception after the NFC East champion Eagles returned from their Week 5 bye. Thanks to the tush push, Hurts has 14 rushing touchdowns this season.

“We’re always careful with him,” Sirianni said. “He’s our quarterback, so we always want to be careful with him. We always think about his health first and foremost because you never want him not to be on the field. You always want Jalen Hurts on the field. You always feel better when Jalen Hurts is on the field. It’s always part of our process and our plan to make sure that when he does carry the football on planned runs that we try to protect him.”

Wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had 67 catches for 1,079 yards in the regular season, sat out practice Thursday with both a knee issue and for rest. Sirianni said he had no concerns that Hurts’ production would suffer from the layoff or that he wouldn’t easily again find an instant connection with Brown and fellow star wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

“They’ve got a lot of reps together prior to the last couple of weeks,” Sirianni said. “A lot, a lot of reps together. So that’s not a concern of mine. I just feel like we’re in a good spot going into this game.”

Hurts was 20-of-34 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in leading the Eagles to a 34-29 victory over the Packers in the season opener.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.