Slip of the injury report leaves Sirianni trying to clarify

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni just can’t seem to get out of his own way.

In the midst of a four-game winning streak while preparing to face a wounded Cowboys squad, his unforced error at Friday’s press conference caused a controversy.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts had sat out of practice on Wednesday, listed on the injury report as “rest.” But Sirianni, when asked a seemingly innocuous question about Hurts’ “load management” this week, volunteered that it was because of an ankle injury, not rest — until a public-relations person spoke up from the side of the auditorium.

Here’s the exchange:

Reporter: “We haven’t really seen QB Jalen Hurts be held back for load management before. What was behind that on Wednesday?”

Sirianni: “Yeah, he was dealing with – it was on the injury report, dealing with the ankle. You know, just making sure we’re precautious with everything.”

Reporter: “QB Jalen Hurts wasn’t on with an ankle.

Second reporter: I’m sorry. QB Jalen Hurts, it was an ankle? Sirianni: What was that? That was a rest, yeah. Sorry.”

Reporter: “No problem.”

Sirianni: “I thought you were talking about somebody else. Alright.”

Third reporter: “Is QB Jalen Hurts dealing with an ankle problem?”

Sirianni: “No, rest.”

Subsequent to Sirianni’s Friday remarks, multiple reports have stated that Hurts has had an ankle issue for approximately two weeks. Nonetheless, the Birds QB was a full participant in practice on both Thursday and Friday, so there’s no reason to think he won’t play Sunday in Dallas (Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS, 94.1-WIP FM).

Most players are banged-up this time of year. It’s usually not a big deal. But here was Sirianni, again, stepping into a mess of his own creation. Now, fans are wondering how banged-up Hurts really is.

Is it just seasonal wear and tear, or is it something more serious that the team has been navigating? Sirianni opened the door for people to wonder.

The Eagles had no one on Friday’s injury report, the left guard Jordan Mailata (hamstring) is still on injured reserve. Tight end Dallas Goedert is expected to play Sunday.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, will be without quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring), who seeking a second opinion but will miss several weeks. Longtime backup Cooper Rush, who is 5-1 as a starter, will replace him. His only loss was to the Birds, in 2022.

Receiver CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) participated in Friday’s practice but was listed as questionable for the game. Linebacker Micah Parsons (ankle) is also questionable, though he said this weeks he expects to suit up.

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The Eagles haven’t won in Dallas in seven years, and they’re 4-6 in the teams’ last 10 meetings. Running back Saquon Barkley, who spent his first six seasons with the New York Giants, knows the importance of this divisional rivalry.

“I would say the Giants hate the Eagles, the Eagles hate Dallas,” Barkley said. “I’ve never been with Dallas, and I don’t plan on bouncing around the NFC East. I don’t know their opinion, and I don’t know Washington. When I was in New York, you hated every team in the NFC East, and here, you hate every team in the NFC East.

“It’s important. (Divisional games) mean more. If you win your division, you’re automatically in the playoffs. … At the same time, our process and the way we come to work can’t change, and we’ve been doing a solid job at it the last couple weeks. I think we had a great start to the week, and we’ve got to finish strong.”

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NOTES: The Eagles have found success by consistently running the ball. The Cowboys are 30th in the NFL in rushing defense (147.8 yards/game), while the Birds are second in rushing offense (174.8 yards/per game). … The Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the only teammates with multiple receiving touchdowns of 40-plus yards this season. … The CBS broadcasters will be Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson.

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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.