January 7
4:53 PM: The Eagles waived QB Ian Book, opening a spot on the 53-man active roster. Book served as a backup quarterback for the final two games of the regular season with the injuries to Jalen Hurts (concussion) and Kenny Pickett (ribs).
January 6
4:28 PM: Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that wide receiver Christian Watson will miss the remainder of the season with a non-contact knee injury suffered in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears.
"Yeah, it's not good," LaFleur said when asked for an update on Monday. "It's a big-time loss. Just his presence on the field alone. He's so versatile in his ability to play multiple (wide receiver) positions. You can put him at the X, the F, the Z. You can move him all over the place. Obviously, he's got an element in terms of his size and speed that's tough to replicate. There's not many built like him around the league. I hurt for him because I know how much he's put into this thing."
Watson had 620 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just 29 receptions in 2024, averaging 21.4 yards per catch. One of those touchdowns came in the regular-season opener against the Eagles (he had three catches for 13 yards). The third-year receiver was rated by NFL Next Gen Stats as the most athletic wide receiver at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Watson ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis before being selected by Green Bay in the second round.
3:30 PM: Head Coach Nick Sirianni provided a one-liner when updating the status of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is in the NFL's concussion protocol, at his virtual press conference on Monday.
"I have no new information for you guys," he said.
That's the same line Sirianni provided reporters following Sunday's 20-13 regular-season-ending win over the Giants, which provided the Eagles with a franchise-record-tying 14th win. The Eagles return to the practice field on Wednesday.
Earlier in the press conference, Sirianni was asked about the backup quarterback situation as well. Kenny Pickett did not practice all week due to injured ribs, while Tanner McKee performed well in his first NFL regular-season start, completing 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns and no turnover for a 100.6 QB rating against the Giants.
"I've got a lot of confidence in both of the guys," Sirianni said. "I think when Kenny's had to play, he's played really well. When Tanner's had to play, he's played really well. We got a really good room. Obviously, Jalen had an outstanding season. We just have a great room. Credit to Howie (Roseman, Executive Vice President/General Manager) and his staff of getting those guys in here and just a great job by these guys in taking advantage of their opportunities. Great job by Kellen (Moore, Offensive Coordinator), Kevin (Patullo, Associate Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator), Doug (Nussmeier, Quarterbacks Coach) helping these guys develop. We feel really, really good about the room of where we are." – Chris McPherson
