Eagles will start Gardner Minshew at QB against Cowboys as Jalen Hurts is 'not going to be' ready

FRISCO, Texas — Fantasy managers and bettors need not wait longer for confirmation.

Because Thursday morning, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed: MVP-caliber quarterback Jalen Hurts will not start Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. Gardner Minshew, instead, will get the nod.

Hurts sprained his throwing shoulder in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. He did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday, but the Eagles had played coy about when they would publicize who starts.

Thursday morning, they did.

“Jalen did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go,” Sirianni said. “And just at the end of the day, he’s not going to be able to do it. He tried like crazy and I know he still wants to go.

“Jalen Hurts is the toughest player I’ve ever been around.”

Sirianni said of Minshew: “Gardner will be our guy and Gardner will be ready.”

Vegas had already moved betting lines to favor the Cowboys after news of Hurts’ injury broke Monday. The Cowboys’ 1.5-point favorite status quickly became a 6-point spread. Hosting the Eagles also helps that.

Minshew, a 2019 sixth-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has played 30 career games including 22 starts.

This season, Hurts has raced to 3,472 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 67.3% of his passes. That doesn’t factor in his rampant ground threat, Hurts rushing for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns. No NFL quarterback has raced into the end zone more, with the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields (eight rushing TDs) and the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (six) being the closest.

The Cowboys need not only imagine what Minshew could do against them. His last start was, in fact, against Dallas in the final regular-season game last season. Minshew completed 19-of-33 passes (57.6%) for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 51-26 loss to the Cowboys in which the Eagles rested some players. Minshew had started once more last season, leading Philadelphia to a 33-18 win over the New York Jets on Dec. 5, 2021. His play, with a stronger supporting cast, was clean: 20-of-25, 242 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers.

Minshew found tight end Dallas Goedert, who was activated off injured reserve this week, for 36- and 25-yard scores in that game.

Both NFC East teams have already clinched a playoff spot. With a win, the Eagles would clinch the division, the NFC’s top postseason seed and a first-round bye. With three weeks left in the season, the Cowboys would need to win out, and the Eagles lose out, for Dallas to steal the division.