SEATTLE — The Eagles have downgraded Jalen Hurts to questionable for their game against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football because of an illness, league sources confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Hurts, 25, popped up on the team’s injury report Saturday when he missed practice because of that illness and he’s still not feeling well.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported that Hurts was being downgraded.
Hurts is traveling to Seattle separately as a precaution to avoid getting his teammates sick, a source said. The Eagles were initially supposed to play the Seahawks on Sunday but the game was flexed to Monday night. That might give him enough time to improve enough to play.
If Hurts can’t play on Monday, the Eagles would turn to veteran backup Marcus Mariota, who played his first seven offensive snaps of the season the last two weeks against the 49ers and Cowboys. Mariota, 30, is in his ninth NFL season and has 74 career starts under his belt.
The Eagles signed Mariota as their backup this offseason. Gardner Minshew left to be the Colts’ backup quarterback but has been their starter since Anthony Richardson went down with injury.
This could end up being turned into a matchup of backup quarterbacks. Seahawks’ starter Geno Smith is also listed as questionable with a groin injury that kept him out last week. If Smith can’t play, the Seahawks would start Drew Lock.
The Eagles on Saturday also ruled out three players for Monday Night Football: CB Darius Slay (knee), RG Cam Jurgens (pectoral) and LB Zach Cunningham (knee). Expect rookie Kelee Ringo to replace Slay, Sua Opeta to replace Jurgens and Shaq Leonard to replace Cunningham.
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