Hurts out against Carolina. McKee will start for Philadelphia.

Jalen Hurts will miss Sunday's game against Carolina after a follow-up ultrasound found movement in a superficial blood clot in his calf, the Eagles announced Thursday. Philadelphia's afternoon injury report confirms Tanner McKee will start. The team has not announced a return date for Hurts.

The Eagles said an ultrasound in London found the clot before the October 11 Jaguars game. According to the team, its medical staff and doctors there cleared Hurts to play. He did, and practiced fully Wednesday before that night's follow-up scan changed his availability.

Thursday's announcement settles Sunday's quarterback decision. It does not establish a longer absence, a treatment plan or an independent assessment of the earlier clearance. Those distinctions matter when a medical update immediately becomes a football debate. Philadelphia says it is determining treatment; a timetable cannot be supplied from that statement alone.

McKee's supporting cast is still being settled

McKee's personnel picture remains unsettled. DeVonta Smith returned to practice Thursday for the first time since the preparation for Week 3, but was limited with hamstring and toe issues. Center Drew Kendall also returned on a limited basis. Saquon Barkley missed a second straight practice with a hamstring injury, while Dontayvion Wicks went from limited Wednesday to absent Thursday. A practice return is progress, not a declaration that Smith will play Sunday.

For the offense, that leaves two separate questions: how Philadelphia builds the plan around McKee, and which supporting players will be cleared to execute it. A quarterback change alone cannot answer the second. Friday's designations and the eventual inactive list will provide firmer availability evidence.

Carolina visits Lincoln Financial Field on October 18 at 1 p.m. Eastern. CBS carries the game in selected U.S. markets; Philadelphia's official viewing guide includes the regional availability route. The next verified treatment or availability announcement, rather than a guessed recovery date, is the update to watch.