PHILADELPHIA — There’s more than just the starting quarterback for the Eagles to decide when they play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Although it’s not official, chances are Gardner Minshew will get a second consecutive start for Jalen Hurts, who is nursing a sprained shoulder. Hurts was limited in practice Thursday, the first time he has practiced since injuring his shoulder Dec. 18 against the Bears.
The Eagles return to practice on Friday, and it’s possible the Hurts will do more. At the very least, the Saints will have to prepare for him and Minshew.
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Rest is the best medicine for Hurts sore shoulder. At the same time, Hurts is having an MVP-caliber season, and the Eagles still need a win to clinch the NFC East Division title and No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs, and the first-round bye that goes with it.
Tight end Dallas Goedert said “absolutely not!” when asked if he knew who the starting quarterback would be, adding: “I tried to take a little out of Jalen, but he didn’t really say much. He kind of sat in his statuesque gaze, put his lips out, nodded.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what that means, J.’ So let’s see. It’s still up in the air, but whoever it is, I like our chances.
Added running back Miles Sanders: “I was happy to see Jalen back on the field. He still has to go as his body says. We’ll be ready whenever he’s ready. stay as healthy as possible.”
In this case, five weeks of rest from the time of injury until the Eagles’ first playoff game, assuming they clinch the top seed, is better than two.
Minshew threw for 355 yards Saturday in the Eagles’ 40-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, with 2 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. It was his first game since the end of the regular season last year.
“I thought Gardner played a great game,” said Goedert. “Damn, I mean, his completion percentage was good, his yardage was good. We’ve got to limit some of the turnovers. And with another game under his belt, I think he’s going to improve even more.”
Goedert’s statement made it sound like Minshew is going to put that other game “under his belt”. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was not expected to speak to the media on Thursday, but he was expected to speak to the media on Friday.
That uncertainty also applies to the right side, where Lane Johnson is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a torn adductor muscle in his abdomen. Johnson reportedly decided to delay the surgery in order to have a chance to play in the playoffs.
Until then, the Eagles will have to replace a Pro Bowl right tackle who hasn’t allowed a sack in over 2 years, setting an NFL record for nearly 1,000 passes since he last allowed a sack.
The Eagles had several options, but it looks like Jack Driscoll will replace Johnson. The Eagles could use Andre Dillard at right tackle, or even put Dillard at left tackle and move Jordan Mailata to right tackle.
Driscoll, the Eagles’ 2020 fourth-round pick, has filled in at both right and left during his career. Earlier this season, he started at left tackle in place of Mailata, who missed a game with a shoulder injury. Dillard was on injured reserve at the time.
But Dillard has always played left wing. The Eagles moved Mailata to right tackle last season by one game, with Dillard starting at left tackle. That’s when Johnson missed three games to deal with a mental illness.
Sanders said Johnson was a “huge loss” but was confident in Driscoll.
“We have a lot of confidence in Jack,” Sanders said. “I have a lot of confidence in Jack, and he’s going to get the job done.”
As for Sanders, he missed practice on Wednesday because of a knee injury, but was limited in practice on Thursday. He said he hopes to play against Santos. Sanders has 1,175 rushing yards this season.
“It wasn’t anything really major,” Sanders said. “They’re just being cautious, letting me get some rest. It’s the end of the season so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Please contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.