Eagles Insights: Jalen Hurts' middle finger, preparing for blitz, Brian Johnson's head-coaching candidacy

Jalen Hurts usually plays coy about injuries, although he conceded on Thursday that he should not have returned to last weekend’s game after he dislocated his right middle finger. Hurts maintains that he’s “day-to-day,” and he did not throw a football during the first three days of this week. He’ll presumably play against Tampa Bay, but the question is how the injury affects him. The pain from the injury was greater on Monday than it was when it occurred on Sunday.

“Obviously, leaving that game and attempting to go back into the game probably wasn’t the best idea,’ Hurts said. “Not having control over the things I wanted to do. But time will tell… I can assure you everything’s progressing in the right way.”

Hurts was officially listed as limited at Thursday’s practice. During the portion open to reporters, he did not participate in the ball security drills like he normally would. He wore a glove on his right hand.

When asked if the issue is more with throwing the ball or handling the ball, Hurts smirked. 

“I think everything’s a challenge when you have a finger out of place,” Hurts said.

Coach Nick Sirianni lauded Hurts’ toughness against the Giants and implied it was Hurts’ call to remain in the game when medically cleared.

“I was watching him closely when he came out of the tent and watching him throw,” Sirianni said. “He looked at me and he said, ‘I’m going,’ got his helmet, picked it up, and that gives you goosebumps to think about one of your best players doing that and fighting through for his teammates.”

Sirianni acknowledged that Hurts will be “sore” this week and that the finger will get stiff. This is the first time Hurts has played with this type of injury.

This is the third consecutive year that Hurts is entering the postseason with an injury. In 2021, it was an ankle that required surgery. Last year, he was recovering from the shoulder injury that sidelined him in December. The question was posed to Hurts about how he feels this year compared to the past two postseasons.

“I guess we’ll base it off the result,” he said.

Injury updates 

Elsewhere on the injury front, A.J. Brown (knee) and Reed Blankenship (groin) both missed practice on Thursday. This does not mean they’ll be out on Monday, but they are the two players who must be watched most closely leading up to the game.

The good news for the Eagles is that Darius Slay and DeVonta Smith will both return to the lineup. Slay has been absent since December 10. He probably could have played last weekend, but the Eagles held him back on the MetLife Stadium turf. 

“I do feel a little fresher,” Slay said. 

He joked that he’s “21 at heart.” 

Smith missed last weekend’s game — the first absence in his career  — although he was a full participant in practice on Thursday and said he would play.

“I’ll be there: count me in,” Smith said.

Smith called it a “smart decision” to miss last weekend’s game, but said he could have played had it been a postseason game.

Also, pay attention to how the Eagles fill the final spot on the roster. Sydney Brown is out for the season with a torn ACL. He’s not yet on injured reserve. The Eagles could go with Tristian McCollum, who has been the top reserve safety on the practice squad. McCollum’s twin brother, Zyon, plays for Tampa Bay.

Eagles vs. blitz

The key for the offense on Monday will be answers against the blitz. The Bucs are No. 3 in the NFL on blitzes per dropbacks (40.2 percent). Only the Giants and Vikings blitz more.

The Eagles were 12 of 22 for 90 yards, an interception and two sacks against the blitz last week (with Hurts and Marcus Mariota at quarterback), when it was clearly an issue against the Giants.

One week earlier against Arizona, they were efficient against the blitz — 6 of 7 for 67 tards, with one pass dropped — although they did not generate the explosive plays that beating the blitz could offer. 

“We have to, first and foremost, we have to give everybody the tools and the answers to go out there and execute their job properly against the blitz and credit to the Giants,” offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said. “They did a great job of doing some unique things that created some issues for us. But definitely a moment that we can learn from and continue to grow from.”

In Week 3 against Tampa Bay, Hurts was 13 of 21 for 146 yards and two interceptions against the blitz. It was the most he was blitzed all season. He was only sacked once on 23 dropbacks against the blitz.

“I think just the variety of different fronts, different personnel groupings, being able to mix and match, being able to package it in a way where it looks very similar to other things that they can present,” Johnson said of Bucs coach Todd Bowles. “So for us, we really have to be on in terms of our identification system.”

Sirianni’s messaging

The Eagles’ problems have been tangible on the field, but it’s still constructive to monitor Sirianni’s messaging to the team. Is he hitting the right notes? Is the messaging running stale? 

Of course, what’s revealed publicly is often a shade of what’s said behind closed doors. But as much as Sirianni was willing to reveal, it seemed to remind the team of who they are (or what they aspire to be, perhaps).

“We just talked about our identity, who we are, and like I said, physical, violent. We talked about with the offense, don’t forget you’re a top 10 unit these past two years, or top, whatever, 8 unit, whatever we finished this year in scoring and offense, total offense. Don’t forget that,” Sirianni said. “And special teams has been doing a great job all season long. Just talked about our identity. I don’t think you come up with a new message because you got to the playoffs, you come back to who you are, what got you here. Even if you drifted a little bit from who you are, what got you there, just trying to get yourself back to that moment. And know we can have confidence that we’ve been here before and are ready to go up there and play a really good team that we’re facing this week.”

Interestingly, Sirianni did not include the defense in that summation.

Also of note: the term “identity” is one that Hurts has used since the summer. He said the team is trying to figure out what their identity is, and the answer to that question remains ambiguous. At least from Sirianni’s perspective, he wants it to be a team that’s tough on the lines of scrimmage.

“That’s just how we’re built as a football team, with our offensive and defensive line,” Sirianni said. “A lot of resources in there and a lot of good players. For the past three years we have been able to lean on those guys. Again, nothing’s going to seem good during a losing streak that we’re on, but we know that getting back to that is going to be critical. We know how talented those guys are, how good of leaders they are. And we have good skill players, don’t get me wrong.Howie’s done a great job in his philosophy of building the team with the offensive and defensive line. And it’s playoff time, and we know we can lean on them this time.”

This is where I’d agree with Sirianni: they’re at the best on defense when the defensive line is disrupting the game. That hasn’t been the case in recent weeks. And the offensive line, which was ranked No. 1 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, should be leaned upon in the running game and to give Hurts time. If the Eagles win on Monday, it will be because they won the lines of scrimmage.

Brian Johnson a HC candidate

Brian Johnson might be under scrutiny among Eagles fans, but he remains a desired head-coaching candidate elsewhere in the NFL. Carolina and Tennessee both submitted interview requests for Johnson. He cannot interview until the middle of next week. That should be noted, because it’s not as if an interview would conflict with this week’s postseason game.

“All of my focus is about this week, and we’ve got a great opportunity with a special group of people to go out there and put on a great performance against Tampa Bay, and that’s where all of our focus and energy is at the moment,” Johnson said.

That could create a potential complication next week if the Eagles win, although the Eagles (and Johnson) would certainly welcome that problem. It’s a better alternative than the prospect of major staff changes if the Eagles lose. 

It should not be a surprise that Johnson is receiving interest. The focus in Philadelphia is on Johnson’s play-calling. A coaching search, when done right, is about more than scheme. (Plus, the Eagles run Nick Sirianni’s scheme.) Johnson’s experience working with quarterbacks, intelligence, leadership ability, and age are all factors that could excite owners.

If Johnson gets hired elsewhere, it would be the second consecutive year the Eagles lost an offensive coordinator to become a head coach elsewhere. The Eagles would receive a draft pick if Johnson is hired as a head coach. 

“You try to help him as much as you can prior to,” Sirianni said of Johnson. “And, two things, I try to help him as much as I can being the same person every day and teaching him what I know day-to-day, or bringing him in and saying maybe you’ll have to go through this just like people have done for me. And same thing with Brian. You don’t just prepare for an interview in a week. You’ve been doing that your entire year.

“When I interviewed for the Eagles job, we were off. We weren’t playing anymore. So I was able to just sit there and write down a bunch of thoughts. But I wasn’t struggling to write down thoughts; I knew exactly what I wanted to say; I knew exactly what I wanted to do. And that’s how it goes.

“…I know you guys asked about Gannon last year, was he distracted? He’d been ready for that interview for 15 years. And he had been putting those things together for 15 years. I think that’s a silly narrative that people put out there sometimes because it can be a narrative because if you don’t know what goes into all those things.” 

2024 opponents

The 2024 opponents have been finalized now that the regular season is finished. Here’s how it looks for the Eagles:

Home: Giants, Commanders, Cowboys, Falcons, Panthers, Browns, Steelers, Packers, Jaguars

Away: Giants, Commanders, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Saints, Ravens, Bengals, Rams

I predicted that the Eagles would host an international game because they have nine home games next year and have not hosted an international game. (They were the road team in 2018 against the Jaguars.) They’re required to give up a home game every eight years. 

However, the NFL announced the hosts of four games in Europe on Thursday. The Eagles were not among them — and do not play any of those teams on the road.

The one remaining international game is in Brazil. The host team will be announced at a later date.