The Eagles are back in quarterback scramble mode, and one familiar name is already out of the mix.
After Jalen Hurts was placed on injured reserve because of a superficial blood clot in his calf, Philadelphia reportedly explored a reunion with Andy Dalton. Dalton, though, has no interest in returning to the team he was just part of earlier this month.
Hurts’ absence is open-ended, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was moved to injured reserve on Saturday and is expected to miss at least games against the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and New York Giants before Philadelphia’s Week 10 bye. There’s also a chance the shutdown lasts longer.
The timing could not be much worse for the Eagles, who dropped Sunday’s 25-14 decision to the Carolina Panthers. Tanner McKee got the start in Hurts’ place and completed 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown as Philadelphia slid to 2-4. That loss also marked the Eagles’ fourth straight after opening the year 2-0.
Behind McKee, the quarterback room is thin. Philadelphia also has rookie Cole Payton and Joe Milton, who was signed off the Cowboys’ practice squad last week.
Dalton was the starter in the backup role to begin the season after a summer-long battle with McKee. But he was bumped down after Week 3 and released on Oct. 9, just before the Eagles headed to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now, with Hurts sidelined, the Eagles reportedly reached back out. The answer, according to Pro Football Talk, was no.
“They wanted to bring him back, but Dalton has politely declined, we’re told,” Mike Florio wrote, via Pro Football Talk.
Florio also reported that Dalton “will be signing with a team other than the Eagles as soon as tomorrow.” He added that the move could knock a current quarterback on that roster out of the mix, which would then, in his words, make that player “a potential option for the Eagles.”
Dalton is a 16-year veteran with 169 career starts. He has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Cowboys, Bears, New Orleans Saints, Panthers and Eagles.
For Philadelphia, the search for help continues.
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Philadelphia has plenty to sort through on its own, but Dallas is arriving with defensive issues that could be just as important as the offenses uneven start. The Cowboys have struggled to get off the field on third down, and the overall results have left little margin for error in a division that remains wide open. They are still in the conversation, but against the Eagles, they will need to clean up several areas at once just to keep pace. [Read more 🡒]