Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts Set To Have Surgery On Injured Ankle: Report

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will have surgery Wednesday on his ankle, according to a new report from NFL Network. He should be fully recovered by the time OTAs start in the spring.

Hurts suffered an ankle injury toward the end of the season. It forced him to miss Week 13's game against the New York Jets, where backup quarterback Gardner Minshew filled in and the Eagles won, 33-18.

Hurts returned after the Jets game off the bye week against the Washington Football Team. He won his last three starts of the season to secure a spot in the playoffs, but the injury reportedly affected his game.

"Hurts played through injury late in the season and the playoff game, but it clearly affected him," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted. "He should be fully recovered by the start of OTAs this spring."

It's a good sign that Hurts will be healthy before the start of OTAs in the spring. This offseason is important for his development as he continues to grow into potentially being the Eagles' franchise quarterback.

In their season-ending press conference in January, executive vice president Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni both said Hurts is expected to return as the Eagles' starting quarterback in 2022.

"Jalen knows where he stands with us," Sirianni said in January. "He knows he's our quarterback. I thought he did a great job of getting better throughout the year, as we've talked about, and so there's no secrets here. He knows he's our guy."

In his first year as the Eagles' starter, Hurts helped lead the Eagles to playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He performed poorly in the loss, but he still had a good season overall.

The 23-year-old threw for 3,144 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also spearheaded the NFL's most explosive-rushing offense.

Hurts led the team in rushing with 784 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He was also named a 2021 Pro Bowl NFC alternate.

"We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a first-year starter and second-year player and leading this team to the playoffs," Roseman said. "I'm tremendously impressed by his work ethic and his leadership. The last time we walked was during camp and we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horn, and he certainly did that."