Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
Franchise quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. Everybody knows that. They need time to mature, time for the roots to take shape underneath the ground. Jalen Hurts is in the germination stage of his journey.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is entering his third NFL season, his second as a full-time starter. Hurts’ numbers have steadily risen since taking the reins. More importantly, they look very similar to what Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen did in 2018 and 2019. Allen took the leap into elite status in Year 3, a random fact not lost on Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.
“It’s very, very difficult to project what you call or what we might call franchise quarterback,” Lurie told reporters on March 29. “It happens. It just happens. After Year 1 or Year 2 was Josh Allen a franchise quarterback? Was he even thought to be a franchise quarterback when Buffalo drafted him?
“I think the answers are very clearly no, no and no. He developed into one, so now we have a young, 23-year-old, playoff quarterback who gets better every year in college, and in the pros, he’s had really one full year.”
Lurie continued: “No one knows where that’s going to end up. But I think what you do know is you have a guy that is incredibly dedicated. Excellent leader of men — players around him gravitate to him. He will do anything and everything to get better and work on every weakness he has and try to maximize every strength he has. That’s why we’re committed to Jalen at age 23. Who knows what the future holds, right? So that’s where it goes.”
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Hurts Getting ‘More Comfortable’ in Eagles’ Offense
Head coach Nick Sirianni challenged Hurts to work on his fundamentals in the offseason. He did. He showed up to OTAs looking more comfortable in the pocket and throwing a crisper ball. Hurts has also benefited from working with the same offensive coaching staff for a second straight season. That has happened to him since high school.
“Jalen is, in my opinion, more comfortable in the offense, right. That’s just the part of the process the second year,” Sirianni said. “He knows where the receivers are going to be versus different looks. He knows where to go with the football a little bit quicker.”
The Size Difference Between Jalen Hurts in 2021 vs. 2022 OTA’s. 🤯💪🏼
The next stage in Hurts’ growth is getting reps. He needs to build chemistry with his revamped receiving corps, highlighted by the additions of A.J. Brown and Zach Pascal.
“We’ve done our job as coaches,” Sirianni said, “and I don’t want to say we’ve done a good job, but what we’ve done as coaches is figured out what he likes and what he’s good at and all these different things. It’s just accumulating those reps.”
Public Practices Tickets on Sale: August 7
The Eagles will hold an open training camp practice for the general public on August 7 at Lincoln Financial Field. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation. There is also a $25 VIP option that allows fans a special on-field experience.
#EaglesCamp presented by @IBX will feature a public practice at @LFFStadium on Sunday, August 7th. All ticket proceeds will benefit @eaglesautism.
Tickets:t.co/KeE1nUamkW
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Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Stunningly Compared to All-Pro QB: ‘It Just Happens’