Nick Sirianni is noncommittal on Jalen Hurts and Eagles starters playing the preseason opener at Baltimore

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Thursday declined to divulge whether he plans to play quarterback Jalen Hurts and the rest of his starters during the team’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.

Sirianni deflected and remained coy while he handled several questions surrounding his game plan.

“We’re still figuring out,” Sirianni said. “I don’t have to make a decision quite yet on [playing time]. We’ll see. We talk through everything and we’re still talking through it.”

This time last year, Hurts started the preseason opener against the New York Jets. He played just the opening drive, completing all six of his passes for 80 yards and a touchdown with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. It was his only preseason action.

In line with Sirianni’s approach, Hurts remained tight-lipped when asked his thoughts about how the preseason has evolved over the years.

“I like to play football,” Hurts said. “So any opportunity I get to do that, I want to take advantage of.”

Regardless of how much Hurts plays over the team’s three preseason games, the 25-year-old, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $255 million in the offseason, acknowledged he’s still as coachable as anyone.

During a recent practice, Sirianni became upset at Hurts after he neglected to hand the football to an official at the end of a two-minute scenario. Sirianni’s overall teaching point in that moment essentially was time is of the essence; by handing the ball directly to a referee, Hurts would’ve kept precious seconds on the clock as the special teams unit took the field for a field-goal attempt. Following the heated exchange between the coach and quarterback, Hurts executed push-ups from the sideline as a form of accountability.

“As a leader, I know that I am — everybody is worthy of getting coached,” Hurts said about the interaction with Sirianni. “I can’t get on another guy for acting a certain type of way towards something and I’m not practicing what I’m preaching. We’re all here to learn and continue to grow.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts atones for error with push-ups

While Sirianni declined to discuss rep distribution, he also hinted that the team’s upcoming schedule may factor into his decision making. Following the preseason opener at Baltimore, the Eagles will return home and host the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts for joint practice sessions and exhibition games in consecutive weeks.

“Obviously, it’s more controlled here at practice,” Sirianni said. “Speaking [directly] of the quarterback, it’s obviously more controlled at practice — they’re wearing a red jersey and [defensive players] are told over and over again, ‘Don’t get near the quarterback,’ how important that is.

“But all you’re trying to do is make sure guys are ready to go in that first game. Sometimes you feel like they need to play in that first preseason game or second preseason game or third preseason game, and sometimes you don’t. It’s based off how practice goes.

“That’s why I am not ready to give that answer.”

Fresh off their appearance in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles are officially back in action this Saturday for their first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on GameDay Central, live from M&T Bank Stadium.