Jalen Hurts a limited participant on Thursday, still trending in the right direction for Sunday

Jalen Hurts took the first-team reps again at practice on Thursday, according to team sources, as he continues to progress ahead of the Eagles’ Week 18 game against the New York Giants.

The Eagles quarterback, who has been out since suffering a sprained shoulder on Dec. 18 against the Chicago Bears, took the first-team reps for the second straight day at the NovaCare Complex. While Hurts still has a few obstacles to clear before or if he is announced as Sunday’s starter, he continues to make progress.

On Thursday, Hurts did more during the portion of practice open to the media than he did last week, both in terms of throwing the football and participating in non-throwing drills. He also notably participated in the team’s ball security drill which he was held out of last week.

The Eagles, who can clinch both the NFC East title and NFC’s No. 1 overall seed with a win on Sunday, have lost their last two games with Hurts sidelined and Gardner Minshew starting in his stead.

Several Eagles players, including tight end Dallas Goedert, said Hurts “looked good” on Thursday, while offensive coordinator Shane Steichen described the 24-year-old signal-caller as “locked in.”

Hurts first returned to practice on Dec. 29, but after initially being listed as doubtful for the game against the New Orleans Saints, he was officially ruled out on Sunday morning a few hours before kickoff.

Before being injured against the Bears, Hurts was viewed as one of the favorites for NFL MVP. The second-year starter has thrown for 3,472 yards, with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions this season, and run for another 747 yards and 13 more scores.