In the NFL, as in life, timing is everything. And according to one former Pro Bowler, the timing of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' recently revealed blood clot seems a bit too convenient.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, the Eagles ruled Hurts out of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, providing a detailed timeline of the "superficial blood clot" that was apparently initiated when he was cleated in the calf during Philly's loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 4. Hurts played in last weekend's last-second defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, but the team said that on "Wednesday night, a follow-up ultrasound revealed movement in the small blood clot," leading the Eagles to shut down Hurts down. No timeline was provided for
his return.
But in the judgment of former Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson, who's now an NFL Network analyst, there seems to be more to the story given Hurts' departure from a 30th-ranked offense in the midst of a three-game losing streak that's seen several key Eagles exit the lineup, whether due to injuries or Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson's sudden retirement for mental health reasons. This has all transpired in the middle of a difficult season during which Hurts, the Super Bowl 59 MVP, hasn't performed well during a transition to the offensive principles espoused by new coordinator Sean Mannion and with the backdrop of outside speculation that Hurts' time in the City of Brotherly Love could be winding down.
"They're incentivized to go into the draft and maybe look for a quarterback," Robinson said Thursday night on "NFL Gameday Kickoff," noting that recent trades have provided Philadelphia with three first- and three second-round picks over the course of the 2027 and '28 drafts.
Hurts' five-year, $255 million extension runs through the 2028 season, however his guarantees run out following the 2027 campaign.
"It looked like they were trying to pin the outcome of this season on a Jalen Hurts just so that they could have an excuse later on to move on from Jalen Hurts," Robinson continued, admitting he was speculating about the situation and reminding his audience that he's not a medical expert − while still casting his doubt on the seriousness of a superficial blood clot.
"And, again, I'm not saying I know nothing, guys. But if I'm just playing devil's advocate here, and I'm thinking that way, if I'm Jalen Hurts − or anybody in Jalen Hurts' camp − I'm saying, 'Well if everybody's hurt, I'm hurt, too.'
"To me, it looked like Jalen is kind of getting himself out of the fray so that this lost season ... he's pulling himself out so that this doesn't look like it's on me."
It is worth noting that Hurts arrived via a second-round pick in 2020, when Carson Wentz was still considered the Eagles' franchise quarterback. But Hurts started the final four games of his rookie year, when the Eagles finished 4-11-1, and Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts the following March.
It's also worth noting that Eagles players don't appear to openly suspect anything is fishy about Hurts' injury or their current predicament.
"It just shows you what kind of leader he is," left tackle Jordan Mailata said via Philadelphia's local ABC affiliate WPVI when asked about the go-ahead drive Hurts led against the Jags before they snatched the win on a game-ending 57-yard field goal after a strategic gaffe by the Eagles on the subsequent kickoff.
"He persevered to play in that game for us. ... One of his major qualities is just being poised and in control of everything at all times.
"Now that we've uncovered a couple things, and we know a little bit more about the situation and it just shows you what kind of person he is."
Even quarterback Dak Prescott of the archrival Dallas Cowboys weighed in on Hurts' injury.
"It's scary when you get things like that," said Prescott, while referencing the Eagles' recent transatlantic trip. "Blood clots, you're talking about someone's life, especially with the plane trip and all that they took.
"Yeah, it's scary."
As for the problems around Hurts, they've been multiple. Johnson abruptly retired on Oct. 6. A day later, the Eagles traded former Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens. Left guard Landon Dickerson has been on injured reserve with a bone bruise in his knee, missing every game but one.
And it's not just the offensive line.
Philadelphia listed 24 players, essentially half the roster, on Thursday's injury report. Star running back Saquon Barkley and top receiver DeVonta Smith are both dealing with hamstring injuries and didn't play in London. Smith did manage to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Pro Bowler suspicious of Eagles' story about Jalen Hurts' blood clot
