Eagles latest roster move hints at QB disaster with Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett

The Philadelphia Eagles finally hit a speed bump on Sunday, dropping their Week 16 matchup against the Washington Commanders on a walk-off touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels. Worse than the loss, however, was the injury bug, which bit Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett in the span of four quarters.

Hurts went down early in the first quarter. He spearheaded two touchdown drives out of the gate but saw his afternoon end after a hit to the head, which led to a concussion. Then it was Pickett's turn. The backup QB managed 143 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 36-33 loss. Philadelphia should have won, to be honest, but a costly DeVonta Smith drop late in the fourth quarter left the door open for a clutch Commanders offense.

Pickett didn't perform especially well, but he did enough to stave off Washington as best he could. This loss was not on Pickett, even if a better quarterback probably keeps the Commanders at a greater distance.

More worrisome is the rib injury Pickett suffered, which relegated him to limited participation in practice on Thursday. With Hurts registering a DNP, suddenly the Eagles' QB room is looking awfully barren. That led to an emergency addition from Howie Roseman.

Eagles sign Ian Book to practice squad with Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett both hurt

The Eagles have signed Ian Book to the practice squad as an emergency option at quarterback. The 26-year-old has one NFL start under his belt — a loss with the New Orleans Saints in 2021, which saw Book complete 12-of-20 passes for 135 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Not exactly a robust resume.

Ideally, Book never sees the light of day in an actual game. He is ostensibly QB4 behind Hurts, Pickett, and Tanner McKee, with the latter slated to start if Hurts and Pickett can't suit up for Philadelphia's Week 17 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. Because Tanner McKee vs. Cooper Rush is how we all want to ring in the new year.

This is incredibly poor timing for the Eagles, who appeared to find another gear offensively in their Week 15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game saw Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown sizzling from the start, putting to bed the mounting narrative of negativity around the Eagles' passing attack. This past Sunday's loss broke a 10-game win streak. It was not a bad loss on the surface, but an extended absence from Hurts could prove disastrous. The postseason is only a few weeks away and Philadelphia cannot afford unexpected turbulence.

Ideally, Hurts is back sooner than later — at least in time for the playoffs — and this all gets swept under the rug. At this point, a semi-healthy Eagles team is probably the favorite to come out of the NFC and face the AFC champ (Kansas City, no doubt) in the Super Bowl. We'd all like to see it, but this sudden QB conundrum puts all of that in doubt.