Dec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) warms up before playing against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol from Dec. 22 hit

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is not yet cleared from concussion protocol and his status for the NFC wild-card playoff matchup with the Green Bay Packers could be up in the air until later this week.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles had “no new information” Monday on Hurts, who has been out since suffering the head injury Dec. 22 against the Washington Commanders.

Because the Eagles had no scheduled practice Monday or Tuesday, the next update on Hurts’ status would come Wednesday with the first practice and injury report of the postseason.

Hurts was a nonparticipant on the injury and practice report last week, but likely would’ve been held out for the regular-season finale even if healthy. Running back Saquon Barkley, wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata were all inactive last week.

Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Packers in Brazil.

Sirianni would not confirm whether Hurts was at the team facility or able to participate in meetings or film study during the team media session on Monday.

Tanner McKee started the Week 18 win over the New York Giants. Sirianni wouldn’t declare his depth chart at the position or give into questions about whether McKee might’ve moved ahead of Kenny Pickett as the QB2 in Philadelphia.

“We have a lot of confidence in both guys,” he said.

McKee completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers against the Giants.

–Field Level Media

Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) take the field for warm ups against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol

The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to start Kenny Pickett at quarterback on Sunday against the visiting Dallas Cowboys.

Head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed Friday morning that Jalen Hurts remains in the concussion protocol, adding, “It’s going to be tough for him to make it this week.”

Hurts and Pickett (ribs) were both injured during last weekend’s 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders, but Pickett was a full participant in Thursday’s practice.

Pickett, who grew up as an Eagles fan in Ocean Township, N.J., will have a chance to help Philadelphia (12-3) clinch the NFC East title in his first start for the franchise.

“I’m very excited. It’s a big opportunity,” he told reporters Thursday. “I’ve been working hard to stay ready and I felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation and now having a week to practice, I’ll feel even better going into the stadium. So, I’m excited. I just want to get the win.”

Pickett relieved Hurts in the first quarter against Washington and completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Prior to that, he had appeared in three games in mop-up duty.

Pickett, 26, compiled a 14-10 record as the starter for the Steelers from 2022-23 after being drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (20th overall) in 2022.

After the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson in March, Pickett was traded along with a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-rounders.

Pickett has completed 62.3 percent of his pass attempts for 4,622 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 29 career games. He has rushed for 303 yards and four scores.

Hurts, 26, has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards with 18 TDs and five picks in 15 starts in 2024. He has rushed for 630 yards and is tied for the NFL lead with 14 rushing touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Ian Book (2) hits a shovel pass during the fourth quarter of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 26-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Eagles bring in QB Ian Book for visit with Jalen Hurts (concussion) ailing

With the quarterback position suddenly an uncertainty, the Philadelphia Eagles brought QB Ian Book in for a visit on Christmas Day.

Book, 26, has some familiarity with the organization. He was waived by the Eagles in August 2023 as they finalized their 53-man roster.

Starter Jalen Hurts is in the concussion protocol, and backup Kenny Pickett suffered an injury to his ribs last Sunday in a loss to the Washington Commanders.

Second-year player Tanner McKee is the team’s third quarterback.

Book was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Saints. The former Notre Dame star has played in just one NFL game, starting for New Orleans on Dec. 27, 2021, in a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

He also has spent time with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles (12-3) are headed to the NFL playoffs and will host the Dallas Cowboys (7-8) on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Dec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) walks off the field to leave the game during the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Eagles’ Jalen Hurts in concussion protocol; Kenny Pickett hurt, too

Philadelphia gets its next chance to clinch the NFC East title against the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but the Eagles don’t know whom they will have at quarterback.

Jalen Hurts exited Philadelphia’s 36-33 road loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday due to a head injury, and coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that Hurts was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Hurts’ replacement, Kenny Pickett, sustained a rib injury in the game, and the team was awaiting word on the result of X-rays, according to Sirianni.

Sirianni said of Hurts, “When stuff like that happens, we just lean on the doctors to let us know on a daily basis where he is. … Jalen knows how to prepare, knows how to get himself ready. He is a true pro. Like I’ve said, I just can’t say enough good things about Jalen the player, Jalen the leader, Jalen the person.”

Hurts, who has guided the Eagles to a 12-3 record this season, connected on just 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards before he exited the Washington game.

Pickett took over and produced 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 14-of-24 passing.

“Kenny did some really good things there yesterday,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, we missed Jalen. Jalen’s a great football player who’s had tremendous success and led us to a lot of victories, so we missed him and his contributions to the team and leading the team.

“Kenny, under the circumstances, came in and did a nice job, played good football, gave us a chance to win the football game. Obviously, he’s going to want some plays back, but he did a lot of good things.”

The Eagles have one other quarterback on their roster, Tanner McKee. A sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Stanford, McKee has yet to play a snap for Philadelphia.

–Field Level Media

Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) watches from the sidelines before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett denies refusing backup role

Kenny Pickett denied he refused to play the backup role to quarterback Mason Rudolph and declared such reports disappointing and without merit.

Pickett clarified that the decision to sit came largely from medical personnel assessing his readiness four weeks removed from “tightrope” surgery to accelerate recovery from a high-ankle sprain against Arizona in Week 13. Mitch Trubisky started the next two games, both losses, before Steelers coach Mike Tomlin handed the ball to Rudolph, who is 2-0 as the starter.

Trubisky was the backup to Rudolph on Sunday at Seattle, but Pickett said he was inactive by no choice of his own, despite a post on X by Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden that Pickett “100 percent refused to be the backup” in the loss to the Seahawks.

“I saw reports out there I feel were attacking my character and how I am as a person. There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week as far as me being the (No.) 2 (quarterback),” Pickett said. “If I was healthy enough to play and trainers and coaches felt like I looked good enough to play, I was going to start and play. If they believed I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress and suit up for the game. So whoever reported that, don’t know where it started, it’s kind of crazy what people will write and put out there to prove their point or help their standpoint or careers in what you guys (media) do. But disappointing to see that without any proof or basis of it.

“So this week I’m now the 2. They feel good four weeks out of the surgery to dress and be the 2, so I will be the 2 and do what I have to do to get ready for Baltimore.”

Pickett had six touchdowns and four interceptions this season, his second as a starter since being drafted in the first round out of Pitt. He traveled with the team to Seattle last week after being limited in practice.

On Monday, Tomlin said the Steelers would stick with Rudolph in a pivotal regular-season finale at Baltimore. The Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC and could rest key players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, in order to hit the postseason at full strength.

“He’s done a good job and we’ve done a good job in the most recent two weeks,” Tomlin said of Rudolph. “We’ve taken care of the ball. He’s taken care of the ball. We’ve scored points at a rate which we hadn’t done to this point this year. And with the urgency of the moment and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in his hands.”

Rudolph, 28, has completed 68.5 percent of his passes in his three appearances overall for 567 yards and two touchdowns. He has not thrown an INT.

–Field Level Media

Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) gestures at the line of scrimmage against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Hot hand: Steelers to start QB Mason Rudolph at Seattle

Mason Rudolph will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback on Sunday at Seattle, coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday.

Rudolph passed for 290 yards and two scores in Saturday’s 34-11 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals to keep playoff hopes alive for the Steelers (8-7).

It was the first start since 2021 for Rudolph, who completed 17 of 27 passes and was only sacked once in Pittsburgh’s final home game of the season.

Rudolph, 28, replaced Mitchell Trubisky, who was benched by Tomlin after losing two starts following the Week 13 ankle injury to starter Kenny Pickett.

Pickett practiced last week on a limited basis and NFL Network reported Tuesday that he would return against the Seahawks.

If Pickett is active, it appears that it will be in a backup role behind Rudolph based on Tomlin’s announcement on Tuesday.

The Steelers are one of four 8-7 teams in the AFC. After visiting the Seahawks (8-7), Pittsburgh finishes the regular season at AFC-leading Baltimore (12-3) on Jan. 7.

–Field Level Media

Aug 19, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky (10) and Kenny Pickett (8) talk with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan (middle) against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Kenny Pickett out, Steelers stick with Mitchell Trubisky

Kenny Pickett remains in recovery mode following ankle surgery last week, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers to stick with Mitchell Trubisky to start Saturday at Indianapolis.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it would be “reasonable” for Trubisky to show improvement this week after posting 190 passing yards and two total touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s loss last Thursday to the New England Patriots.

With consecutive losses to two-win teams at home — the Arizona Cardinals and Patriots — Pittsburgh currently resides in the No. 6 spot in the AFC playoff picture, one ahead of the Colts. Indianapolis has an identical 7-6 record entering Saturday’s game. The Colts are second in the AFC South behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) and in front of the Houston Texans (7-6).

Tomlin said Mason Rudolph would get “an opportunity to get some work” this week. He said “in helmet prep” has been limited for Rudolph and he doesn’t believe there is a competition between Rudolph and Trubisky for the Week 15 game.

Pickett underwent ankle surgery aiming to expedite his recovery from a high ankle sprain and could be back on the field prior to the Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6).

Pittsburgh and Cincinnati trail the Cleveland Browns (8-5) and Baltimore Ravens (10-3) in the AFC North.

–Field Level Media

Dec 3, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) grabs his leg after play against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pickett left the game with an injury. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett has surgery, LB Elandon Roberts hurt

Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are down two quarterbacks on a short week, ratcheting up urgency entering a matchup with the New England Patriots.

Mitchell Trubisky draws the start at quarterback after Kenny Pickett underwent surgery on his ankle on Monday, and the “QB of our defense,” linebacker Elandon Roberts, is questionable with a groin injury, Tomlin said.

Tomlin said there is no concern Pickett could miss the rest of the season with reports pegging his potential return at 2-4 weeks. The team signed QB Trace McSorley to the practice squad as insurance, ESPN reported Monday.

Roberts attempted to return to Sunday’s loss but was too limited to be effective.

He wears the green dot on his helmet as the defensive signal-caller for the Steelers and has 80 tackles with 1.5 sacks this season. Tomlin said linebacker Blake Martinez could be pushed into action, and Myles Jack might be asked to step in for Roberts. In March, the Steelers released Jack after signing Roberts as a free agent.

“When you are working on a short week, there’s a limited amount of physical reps you get,” Tomlin said.

Trubisky replaced Pickett on Sunday. Pickett left the game with 5:10 to go in the second quarter after a tackle from behind by Cardinals linebacker Josh Woods.

“He gets the most work,” Tomlin said of why he’s turning to Trubisky over Mason Rudolph. “Mitch has been positioned to get the work.”

Tomlin said he will live “one week at a time” when discussing his confidence at quarterback and other positions.

Pickett, who entered Week 13 questionable with an ankle injury but was able to practice, limped off on his own and went to the blue tent for evaluation before heading to the locker room.

Before the injury, Pickett was 7-for-10 passing for 70 yards against the Cardinals.

“He had it surgically repaired this morning in an effort to accelerate the healing process. Rest assured he is out this week,” Tomlin said of Pickett’s ankle injury on Monday.

Trubisky was 11-for-17 passing for 117 yards and one touchdown against the Cardinals. He has passed for 273 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in 49 pass attempts this season.

McSorley, who played at Penn State, was a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has appeared in nine games (one start) for the Ravens (2019-20) and Arizona Cardinals (2021-22) and is 0-1 as a starter.

Tomlin said the expectation of pre-snap and post-play penalties being at zero when the season hits December will cause him to look at personnel very closely even on a week when practice time will be limited.

“There needs to be extreme urgency around the routine things so that they are routine,” Tomlin said Monday. “We’re going to turn the things over as far as people and the things we’re asking them to do.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is tended to after taking a hit against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ‘playing for sure’ Thursday

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett plans to be back in the starting lineup when Pittsburgh takes on the Tennessee Titans on Thursday.

Pickett said Tuesday that he’s not waiting to see how he feels in practice or after workouts and is “playing for sure” despite leaving Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a rib injury.

“It’s part of the game. You’ve got to be available and be ready to go,” Pickett said.

Tuesday’s practice was a light walkthrough, and Pickett said he did minimal work after being listed as a limited participant on Monday.

The Steelers (4-3) have wins by four, five and seven (twice) points this season and rank 30th with 271.7 yards per game, 29th in scoring (16.1 points per game) and 25th in passing (192.0 yards per game).

If Pickett is ineffective, he could be replaced in the lineup Thursday by Mitchell Trubisky, who came off the bench last week in the 20-10 loss to the Jaguars.

–Field Level Media

Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is tended to after taking a hit against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Minkah Fitzpatrick out, Kenny Pickett a maybe for Steelers on Thursday

The Pittsburgh Steelers ruled out safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) for Thursday night’s game against Tennessee while quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs) will be a game-time decision.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he’s leaving “the door ajar” for Pickett, who will evaluated as the week goes on, saying the decision will come down to his “ability to throw and his comfort.” But there’s no structural damage to his ribs, Tomlin said.

Both players left Sunday’s home loss to Jacksonville and didn’t return.

Fitzpatrick injured his hamstring in the first quarter. He leads the Steelers with 54 tackles on the season.

Pickett was injured with 17 seconds left in the first half after a hit by Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis. He was 10-for-16 passing for 73 yards before leaving. Mitch Trubisky replaced him and threw for 138 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions.

Pickett, 25, has thrown for 1,330 yards and five touchdowns against four interceptions on the season.

Fitzpatrick, 26, is coming off his third All-Pro season.

The Steelers (4-3) host the Titans (3-4) on Thursday night to kick off Week 9.

–Field Level Media