PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles had Jalen Hurts back on a football field for the first time in 17 days Wednesday, as the quarterback practiced with the team in a limited capacity. It's a massive step toward getting out of the concussion protocol and starting in Sunday's wild-card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
How did Hurts look in his first practice back?
"He looked sharp today," said an enthusiastic Jordan Mailata. "It was awesome to have him back. That energy was there. He came back with high energy. I've been there before with a concussion and you want to get back out there as fast as possible.
"It took him some time but he came out there and didn't miss a beat. He looked sharp."
In the portion of practice open to the media at Lincoln Financial Field, the only struggle Hurts seemed to have was putting on his shoulder pads. Braving the extreme cold with the wind chill making the weather feel in the mid-teens, there was Hurts -- going sleeveless with a glove in his left hand -- throwing a football with ease and working on play-action passing.
"First practice back he looked crisp and sharp so it was a great practice," said Lane Johnson. "It was windy. It was good practicing at the stadium."
The Eagles were also in full pads to prepare for Sunday's matchup against the Packers, a change from previous Wednesdays when the team went with just shells or had walk-throughs in the late months of the season. That was to limit the wear and tear in preparation for the playoffs, but there is no holding back now.
These padded practices were done in 2017 too, the year the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
"We are not taking anything lightly, not looking past anybody," Johnson said. "We know it's a do-or-die situation in the playoffs so coach preaches about keep the main thing the main thing and that's how you win games. ... You gotta limit mistakes and the team that does that when you got talent like this it tends to work out so that's what we're focused on."
The main focus this week is the status of Hurts, who is expected to clear concussion protocol and start on Sunday. Hurts is looking to become the first quarterback to throw five or fewer pass attempts in the final three games of the season, then start and win a playoff game since Donovan McNabb in 2002.
"It's always good to see him back out there. I hope he's been feeling great and feeling good," said Darius Slay. "I'm really worried more about his health than just playing. The brain is gonna be there forever.
"As long as he's okay, I'm great."
