Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was placed on injured reserve Saturday after a superficial blood clot in his left calf, a roster move that forces him to miss at least the next four games and has led a sports medicine specialist to caution that the season could be lost.
Hurts first reported calf discomfort on Oct. 8. He told the medical staff he had been cleated during the Oct. 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. An ultrasound performed in London before the Jacksonville game showed a superficial clot. Team doctors cleared him to play without limitations.
He completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in the 19-17 defeat. A follow-up ultrasound Wednesday night revealed movement in the clot. The Eagles ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers and later placed him on injured reserve after consulting additional specialists.
Sports medicine physician Dr. Brian Sutterer posted on X, “No need to go on IR unless you’re going on blood thinners, so don’t be surprised when the next news is that his season is over.”
The diagnosis is superficial venous thrombosis. Medical studies, including the POST observational study and related meta-analyses, have found that roughly 25 percent of patients with SVT present with concurrent deep vein thrombosis, while about 10 percent develop a DVT later. A deep clot can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism.
If imaging confirms deep vein involvement, standard treatment for a provoked DVT is often three months of anticoagulant therapy. Contact sports pose elevated bleeding risks, including internal hemorrhage, while a player is on blood thinners, which typically precludes NFL participation.
Other physicians have described comparable timelines. One noted that symptomatic superficial clots treated with blood thinners can require around 45 days of anticoagulation, while progression to DVT extends recovery into months. Former team doctors have said any deep vein component shifts the absence from weeks to months.
The Eagles enter Sunday at 2-3. Tanner McKee will start against the Panthers. No return date has been set, with the final call resting with Hurts’ medical team after further evaluations.
Through five games this season, Hurts has thrown for 933 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 107 yards and one score.
Under injured reserve rules, the earliest possible return is Nov. 22 against the Pittsburgh Steelers after the team’s Week 10 bye. That date depends on treatment response and clearance from any anticoagulant regimen.
Trauma from the cleat strike is a recognized cause of superficial clots and is generally associated with a more favorable outlook than unprovoked cases. The documented movement, however, has increased caution among outside experts.
Eagles officials have emphasized that Hurts’ health and safety remain the highest priority as treatment options are finalized.
Concurrent deep vein findings occur in roughly one-quarter of SVT cases at initial evaluation in specialist settings, according to published cohort data, which helps explain the shift to injured reserve after the latest ultrasound.
Philadelphia has lost three consecutive games and now faces a demanding stretch in the NFC East without its starting quarterback. The course of treatment will determine whether Hurts can return later in the season or whether a longer absence becomes necessary.
