The Philadelphia Eagles may not have Jalen Hurts available for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, as the starting quarterback is battling a sore ankle suffered in a Week 12 loss to the New York Giants. Coach Nick Sirianni said he'll provide an update on Hurts later in the week, but offensive coordinator Shane Steichen revealed Tuesday the team is preparing Gardner Minshew to start in case Hurts is unable to go.

Philadelphia does have its bye coming up next week, so giving Hurts a week to heal up that ankle for the stretch run is an option. There will be more as the week goes on when it comes to Hurts' status against the Jets in Week 13. Like the Eagles, Hurts fantasy owners may want to have a backup plan just in case.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a rough game against the Giants on Sunday and he got dinged while throwing three interceptions in the 13-7 loss at MetLife Stadium.

Head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Monday that Hurts has a sore ankle while running through the injuries from Sunday’s game.

Related players: Gardner Minshew

Sirianni was asked if Hurts will be able to play against the Jets when the Eagles return to New Jersey in Week 13, and he said that he is hopeful, but that the team would have a better idea after Hurts receives treatment in the coming days, the story went on to say. Don't look now, but Minshew is the Eagles QB2 and would get the start if Hurts can't go.

Jalen Hurts entered the season with the odds of holding onto the starting quarterback job beyond 2021 stacked against him. There were mixed opinions about him inside the building before he was drafted in the second round in 2020. Doubts persisted about his viability as a long-term quarterback following four promising but uneven starts as a rookie.

Eleven games into this make-or-break campaign, Hurts has shifted those odds more toward his favor, building a compelling case for why he should remain under center for the Eagles past this season.

The story said the Eagles explored trading for Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson prior to the trade deadline. And with upwards of three first-round picks in April's draft, the heavy speculation has been that Philadelphia will use that capital to acquire the next franchise quarterback, whether by trading those assets for a veteran like Watson or Russell Wilson or using it to select a quarterback from this draft class. With more focus on the running game, Hurts and the Eagles have both improved over the last several weeks and are making a playoff push. Not having to spend those picks on a QB will help the team surrounding Hurts going forward.

While his passing numbers haven’t set the world on fire, quarterback Jalen Hurts has been in the thick of the surge. He’s completed 67 percent of his passes for 443 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in Philadelphia’s last three games. And he’s tallied 31 carries for 186 yards.

In his Monday press conference, head coach Nick Sirianni touted Hurts’ progress.

“I just see his arrow completely pointed up,” Sirianni said, via Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “I think we’ve all seen the way he’s played.”

Hurts is technically still a rookie, but he's clearly been helped but a running game and a more balanced offense. The Eagles didn't run the ball in the beginning of the season putting more pressure on Hurts. But that's changed over the team's recent surge. There is still no guarantee Hurts is the team's starter in 2022, the team is typically aggressive and has been linked to Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson over the last year or so. But Hurts is making a push to earn the job going forward.

It's no coincidence that Jalen Hurts' back-to-back solid outings coincide with a shift in offensive approach. HC Nick Sirianni, after neglecting the running backs for multiple weeks, went run-heavy the past two weeks against the Chargers and Detroit Lions (a 44-6 win). Consider: In Weeks 1-7, the backs totaled 96 carries (13.7 per game) for 444 yards and three touchdowns. In Weeks 8 and 9, those numbers skyrocketed to 66 carries (33 per game) for 258 yards and six touchdowns.

Related players: Jordan Howard, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell

While Hurts has played better, his fantasy stats have taken a hit with more dependence on the running game. Hurts was accounting for nearly 90% of the Eagles' offense in the early going, the most in the NFL. The past couple of weeks have been easy street in comparison. He has averaged 15.5 pass attempts over the past two games compared to 34.5 attempts per game over the first seven weeks.

If the Eagles continue on this trajectory, then I believe we’ll see Gardner Minshew start this season. And that’s not necessarily to form a better evaluation of Minshew, but it could also help form an evaluation of HC Nick Sirianni. If the Eagles offense remains inconsistent (and inefficient) and the team continues losing games, how much of a sample size would one need to know that that the Sirianni-Jalen Hurts combination isn’t working? Twelve games, 14 games? If that were to happen, it would behoove Sirianni to see if the offense looks different with a different quarterback — one who is a 62.9 percent passer during the past two seasons.

The writer doesn't seem to feel that strongly it will happen, and of course, it's just one opinion. This season is more about Hurts and he feels Hurts should have a long leash when it comes to being the starter. But the offense has not looked good and when the team is maybe officially out of playoff competition, then a change to Minshew might make some sense - just to see how the offense functions with someone else.

The Eagles agreed to trade Flacco to the Jets today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Eagles will get a sixth-round draft pick that can become a fifth-round pick depending on Flacco’s playing time, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Related players: Zach Wilson, Mike White, Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew

Flacco could very well end up starting, especially if Wilson has to miss four weeks. White may get at least one more chance this week until Flacco can get up to speed, but many feel the Jets have needed a veteran influence around Wilson all along. Minshew is now back on the fantasy radar as the backup to Hurts, who has not exactly looked great so far this season. It may not be all that big of a surprise to see Minshew get some time at some point this season.

With the Texans reportedly softening their position regarding the expectations for a Deshaun Watson trade, the Dolphins could potentially meet the reduced asking price.

The Eagles, for example, have been linked to Watson for months. As they attempt to determine whether Jalen Hurts can be a franchise quarterback (last night’s game undercuts that idea), the window for a 2021 trade will be closing on November 2. That’s only five weeks away.

Related players: Tua Tagovailoa

A 17-game season makes it harder for a team to fold the tents on 2021 by the Tuesday after Week 8, the story said. Within five weeks, it’s entirely possible that one or more teams will be ready to make the move for Watson before Nov. 2, the story went on to say. With Tagovailoa dealing with an injury and Hurts struggling Monday night against the Cowboys, the story speculates the Dolphins and Eagles are teams to watch. And other teams may get involved as well.

Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts:

"Jalen knows nobody else got any reps with the 1's so you could really argue that we named our starter a while ago. ... Jalen's our starter. I consistently saw a player that got better every single day. He did exactly what we wanted him to do."

Related players: Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew

Hurts got all the reps with the ones, but Sirianni also said it was a QB competition from the start of camp with Flacco. But regardless of the length of time it took to make this official, the news certainly comes as no surprise. Hurts is ranked as a low-end QB1 and is 10th on our list, but could also improve on that with the weapons around him, including first round pick DeVonta Smith, and his running ability.

Nick Sirianni has been very specific on what the Philadelphia Eagles have been working on with Jalen Hurts throughout training camp. Footwork has been the driving force of the coaching staff, as the Eagles believe Hurts will be more consistent with the proper technique -- and deliver better throws as a result.

The Eagles aren't trying to develop Hurts into a pocket passer, but they want him to be better in the pocket, the story said. What makes Hurts a starting quarterback in the NFL is the ability to extend the play with his legs. The story went on to say Hurts often took off running last year after his first read was covered, so the Eagles are looking to work on that. Hurts is considered a low-end QB1, ranked 10th on our list.