Last season, after the Eagles’ offense looked sluggish in Week One, head coach Nick Sirianni said he would reconsider his practice of sitting his starters during the preseason, and consider giving preseason snaps to key players like quarterback Jalen Hurts. But that hasn’t happened.
Hurts has not played in the first two preseason games, and Sirianni said after Thursday night’s game that he didn’t mean to suggest a year ago that his approach to the preseason had changed, only that he would always consider anything that could improve the team’s performance.
“What I probably should have said, if I didn’t say this, is I would always reconsider,” Sirianni said. “Everything’s always on the table and each year is a different year. For me to answer anything for next year, or probably last year answering for this year wasn’t smart on my behalf.”
Sirianni noted that the Eagles won their first five games last year and their first eight games the year before, so it’s not like they’ve been unprepared for the start of the season. Ultimately, Sirianni is approaching the preseason the same way, by not risking injury to his most important players.