It Appears Doug Pederson Lied to Eagles Reporters About Jalen Hurts' Practice Reps

Depending on who you ask, Eagles backup quarterback Jalen Hurts either did or did not receive more first-team practice reps this week amidst starter Carson Wentz's continued struggles.

According to insiders around the league, Hurts did receive more practice reps and is expected to play a more prominent role when the Eagles host the Seahawks on Monday.

One beat reporter, who heard similar rumblings about Hurts getting more reps this week, asked Eagles head coach Doug Pederson directly if that was true. Pederson flat out denied it, saying, "As far as the plays and the snaps, I mean, he hasn't gotten any more than he would get throughout the course of the week normally since we've been playing him."

Naturally, coaches want to play things close to the vest, and Pederson alludes to that with the quintessential, "I'm not going to reveal any game plan plans with him at this time," line. However, it will be interesting to see who is telling the truth when the Eagles play the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

If Hurts' playing time increases, specifically, as Ian Rapoport notes, without Wentz on the field, you'll know he took more first-team reps. Hurts hasn't played one snap this year without Wentz on the field, which means if he does play without Wentz against the Seahawks, a new offensive scheme was installed, which, of course, would necessitate increased practice time.

Pederson was coy this week about who would start for the Eagles, at first not naming Wentz the starter before eventually saying he would start. This follows a disastrous performance by Wentz in the Eagles latest loss against the Browns where he threw two interceptions to increase his league-leading number in that category to 14.

Coaches lying to reporters isn't uncommon. They do so every week. A little white lie about an injury here, a little white lie about the mood in the locker room there. But, as someone who covered professional teams in the past, I can say the trust between a coach and the media is an important one. Once it's broken, it's hard to repair and often leads to a change in the tone of coverage. We'll see if this relationship needs mending at the end of the week based on Hurts' playing time.