Eagles add quarterback Joe Milton to roster amid Jalen Hurts blood-clot injury

Philadelphia signed Dallas Cowboys practice-squad quarterback Joe Milton, adding him to the team’s 53-man roster after Jalen Hurts was ruled out with a blood clot in his calf. Under NFL rules, a player taken from another club’s practice squad must join the active roster, so Milton will serve as a backup rather than remain on the practice squad.

Milton joins Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton, giving the Eagles three quarterbacks ahead of Sunday’s game against Carolina. McKee is expected to start, while the team opted for Milton over speculation that former starter Andy Dalton might return.

The move reflects concerns that Hurts could miss more than a single game. ESPN reported that Hurts will be out indefinitely until the clot issue is resolved, and the Eagles have not ruled out placing him on injured reserve.

Milton, 26, entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2024 draft, spent a year on the Patriots’ bench, was traded to Dallas in April 2025, and appeared in four games as a backup to Dak Prescott. After being cut by the Cowboys following the 2026 preseason, he spent five weeks on their practice squad before Philadelphia’s acquisition.

"It was shocking. But it's life. You got to be able to live with it and deliver blows back when it's time," Milton said after being cut, adding that he still considers himself a capable quarterback.