Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni did not share any new information about Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ injury during his Monday afternoon press conference. But maybe the NFL offered its opinion.

On Monday, the league announced Philadelphia’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, which had been scheduled for 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday, had been moved to a noon kickoff, with the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings game shifted into the vacated time slot and FOX’s national TV telecast.

Sirianni did not rule out Hurts for the Dallas game.

“Jalen’s in the concussion protocol,” Sirianni said. “When stuff like that happens, we just lean on the doctors to let us know on a daily basis where he is. …

“Jalen knows how to prepare, knows how to get himself ready. He is a true pro. Like I’ve said, I just can’t say enough good things about Jalen the player, Jalen the leader, Jalen the person.”

Since Hurts became Philadelphia’s established starting quarterback with the opening of the 2021 campaign, the Eagles have a 45-17 record in regular-season games that he’s started and a 1-3 mark in the games that he has not.

Hurts left Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders to be evaluated for a concussion with 9:15 remaining in the first half, and the former Alabama quarterback did not return.

“He’s always done a good job of protecting himself and been dynamic both as a passer and as a runner,” Sirianni said. “Anytime something goes down and you lose one of your best players, you wish they’d do something else or not take that hit in that scenario. We always run runs that protect him, and we always want him to protect himself. Unfortunately, this is an unfortunate part of football.”

To return to the field, Hurts will have to clear the NFL’s return-to-participation protocol.

The return process begins with symptom-limited activity. This is mainly a rest period, although limited stretching, balance activities and light aerobic activity are allowed. If a player does not experience an increase in his symptoms or show signs of a concussion on neurological examination, he can proceed to the next phase. That requirement holds step-by-step throughout the return process.

The second step is aerobic exercise, a graduated exercise program of stationary-bicycle or treadmill work, stretching and balance training. The player also can return to team meetings at this stage.

Upon demonstrating that he can participate in cardiovascular exercise without an increase in symptoms, the player goes to the third step, which is football-specific exercise. Now the player can engage in strength training and practice with the team in “sport-specific exercise” for no more than 30 minutes.

A player at this stage of return also will undergo neurocognitive testing. If that test shows he has not returned to his baseline readings, as interpreted by a neuropsychology consultant, the tests will be repeat until he does, typically every 48 hours. A player cannot return to contact activities until clearing the neurocognitive tests.

The fourth step in the return process is termed club-based, non-contact training drills. Those drills are position-specific. In Hurts’ case, that would mean throwing the football. The player then could progress to participate in non-contact portions of his team’s practice.

The final step in the return to game action is the ability of the player to engage in full football activity. If the player can do that without setbacks, then the club physician can clear him to return. But first, the player must be examined by the independent neurological consultant assigned to the team to get the final OK.

Kenny Pickett took Hurts’ place on Sunday. Pickett completed 14-of-24 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran three times for 13 yards as the Eagles’ 10-game winning streak ended in a 36-33 defeat by the Commanders.

“Kenny did some really good things there yesterday,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, we missed Jalen. Jalen’s a great football player who’s had tremendous success and led us to a lot of victories, so we missed him and his contributions to the team and leading the team. Kenny, under the circumstances, came in and did a nice job, played good football, gave us a chance to win the football game. Obviously, he’s going to want some plays back, but he did a lot of good things.”

A first-round draft choice in 2022, Pickett started 24 games over the past two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles obtained Pickett in March.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.