Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts placed on injured reserve, will miss at least 4 games

The Philadelphia Eagles have placed quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, which means he will miss at least four games. 

The team announced the move Saturday afternoon. 

Hurts has a superficial blood clot in his leg, the team said earlier this week. 

The injury first came to light on Oct. 8 when Hurts visited the training room after practice for treatment on his calf. Hurts said he had been cleated during the Rams game on Oct. 4, but he continued to participate fully in practice over the next few days and play against the Jaguars in London last weekend. 

Tanner McKee to start for Eagles

The Eagles are set to play the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. Sunday in South Philly. Backup quarterback Tanner McKee is expected to get the start. McKee has thrown five touchdowns and one interception in six career games, two of them starts.

McKee said he's been preparing for the start.

"I found out when we were walking out to walkthrough, and I was like, 'OK, I'm taking the 1 reps now. Let's move like I'm going to be the guy.' As a backup quarterback, that's the mindset you have to have," McKee said earlier this week. "At any moment, you can be ready to play on Sunday. It could be the first play. It could be the last play. You have to be ready. It's kind of a luxury for me to be able to have a few days of getting ones in practice, getting those reps and just running the meetings or whatever it is."

The Eagles said Friday they had also signed quarterback Joe Milton off the Cowboys practice squad.

Birds struggle with injuries

The news comes as the Eagles, who are 2-3 this season, are struggling with several injuries.

Friday's injury report was long, with six players not participating and not available for Sunday's game: Hurts, Saquon Barkley (hamstring), Michael Carter (abdomen), AJ Epenesa (back), Jalyx Hunt (knee/ankle) and Will Shipley (foot).

The following players were also ruled out of Sunday's game: Jakorian Bennett (knee), Grant Calcaterra (back), Landon Dickerson (knee), and Eli Stowers (quad).

Additionally, longtime offensive tackle Lane Johnson retired last week, and the Eagles traded center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens, further destabilizing the offense.

DeVonta Smith, who had been dealing with hamstring and toe injuries, was a full participant Friday and is available Sunday.