The Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals on their preseason debut ahead of the 2025 NFL season. The question everyone’s asking is: will Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow play?
Preseason is a tricky period. Many teams rest their starters, many others use them in a limited capacity. It depends on how the head coach approaches this timeframe. Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed that not only Burrow, but plenty of starters, will play “several series” against the Eagles.
As for Nick Sirianni, the Eagles coach said “Everything’s discussed,” Sirianni said to the press. “We spend a lot of time discussing it. And we’ll see how that goes. Today’s practice, this will be our third day in a row in practice, and we’ll see how guys are feeling after this and go from there.” A much cryptic message.
What does Jalen Hurts think about this?
“I think any time I have the opportunity to play, I relish in it and take advantage of it,” Hurts said. “If Coach makes that decision, I will.” He is ready to go at all times. However, it seems like there’s an understanding that the coach might rest him as well.
If Hurts doesn’t suit up, it seems like it will be third-year quarterback Tanner McKee the one poised to start. His training camp performances have been very well received by the organization. Other options would be former Brown Dorian Thompson-Robinson and rookie Kyle McCord.
Burrow will play, but will also be subbed
Several series are what Zac Taylor will give Joe Burrow. Meaning, he’ll play a quarter or two, but then he will sign out of the game. Jake Browning is the second quarterback on the depth chart, followed by Desmond Ridder.
Both Browning and Ridder are likely to see some sort of action on the game once Burrow is out of it. Ridder was a starter two years ago and Atlanta, but he has now turned into a rotational piece around the NFL. Last year, he was the backup in Las Vegas. This preseason could at least put him on the map once again.