While the QB's season hinges on one key word, a former NFL team doctor addresses Jalen Hurts' blood clot.

Dr. David Chao explains why one word in the Eagles' statement on Jalen Hurts' blood clot could mean a long-term or season-ending absence.

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David Chao served as the Chargers' team doctor for 17 years when they were still in San Diego, so when he read the statement the Philadelphia Eagles released about Jalen Hartz and his blood clot, the doctor focused on one key word that determines whether a quarterback will miss a short amount of time or a long time.

The word that glowed in neon for Dr. Chao was "movement."

A follow-up ultrasound on Wednesday showed "movement in a small blood clot" that the team had discovered four days earlier, the Eagles' statement saying Hearts would not be available for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

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The blood clot discovered on Saturday was described by the team as "superficial".

"What do they mean by movement?" Dr. Chao told OutKick. "Do they mean by the movement that's spreading and now it's a bigger surface bleed?" Or does movement mean it's deeper and the clot is deep vein?

"If it's a deep vein clot, he's out for at least a few weeks."

Dr. Chao explained that surface clots can actually move. They can move and stay level.

"But if the move means it's become a deep vein, then he's out for the long haul and they haven't revealed the extent or depth of the news yet," he added.

By "deep vein" Dr. Chao means deep vein thrombosis. If Hurts has a deep vein thrombosis in his leg, missing a game on Sunday would be just the start of a long absence and possibly the end of the season.

"If it's a deep vein thrombosis, it starts measuring in months, not weeks," Dr. Chao said.

That's not all. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) clot can be dislodged. It can travel through the bloodstream to the lungs and block blood flow. This is known as a pulmonary embolism.

"So he'll be out for the season," Dr. Chao said.

Pulmonary embolism requires strong anticoagulant medication. And no doctor would leave Hartz to play while taking such a drug. Why can't a player who uses strong anticoagulants play? Risk of bleeding.

No, a player isn't going to have a medical emergency from the start that won't stop the bleeding. But there is another bleed to consider.

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"Internal bleeding would be a concern, but the big fear is what if you have a brain bleed," said Dr. Chao, who is the founder of Sports Injury Insights.

Taking anticoagulants does not automatically prevent Hearts from being cleared to play, Dr. Chao said. The question is the strength of the anticoagulant that he may need.

It should be noted that the Eagles said they first discovered Hertz's blood clot by ultrasound after flying to London on Saturday. The clot was then "superficial" and it was decided that Herts could play. The team then returned to Philadelphia after the game and on Wednesday evening discovered a new "movement" ultrasound that caused the team to rule out Hurts against the Panthers.

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So did the flight back from London make the quarterback worse?

"I hear you," Dr. Chao said. "But it depends on what they've done to fly. If they say, 'Oh, nothing to see here, don't worry about it,' that raises an eyebrow."

"You have to understand, people with superficial DVT are sent home and they sleep at night, and that's sometimes eight hours. He's not in a chair where he can't move. If they were urging him to move, they'd have some kind of pacing device on his leg, they'd have a compression stocking, the blood would thin it out a little bit, so the flight is very defensible.

"If they didn't say anything to see here, it would at least raise an eyebrow."

Armando Salguero is the senior writer for NFL OutKick.