Getty Jalen Hurts lands in Philly
No one knows what kind of role the Eagles have in store for Jalen Hurts. One thing seems certain: Hurts will play.
The team’s second-round pick has mostly been working as the third-string quarterback at camp but his athleticism has been hard to ignore. Especially in red-zone drills where he continues to make people miss in space with his feet. Hurts ran for 3,274 and 43 touchdowns — yes, that’s just on the ground — in four college seasons between Oklahoma and Alabama. And Hurts’ arm isn’t too bad, either. He threw two touchdown passes to Deontay Burnett in his first day of padded practices.
The rumor has been that Philly will use him as a gadget-play specialist, much like the Saints do Taysom Hill, but nothing has been decided. Either way, Hurts is an exciting player to watch and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah is hearing the Eagles are “blown away” by him.
“I am excited to see what they do with Jalen Hurts. All reports I have got out of Eagles camp are that they have been blown away with not only, everyone knows how athletic he is, but just how smart he is and how much of a professional he is. He just carries himself like a veteran. Everybody on the team has fallen in love with him. How are they going to use him? I know Taysom Hill is kind of the template some have used for him, but I don’t think he’ll get that much volume (of touches) that Taysom Hill got. But I think they’ll find spots.”
Again, it remains to be seen what Hurts’ actual role will evolve into this season. The rookie has stated several times that his preference is to play quarterback in the NFL, although right now he appears buried behind Nate Sudfeld for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. That’s an ongoing competition, one garnering some extra hype.
Jalen Hurts just threw 2 touchdown passes to Deontay Burnett in his first action
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Hurts: ‘It’s All About Taking Those Steps’
Hurts has said and done all the right things since arriving at training camp. There was some minor drama when the Eagles drafted him back in April — was the team putting Carson Wentz on notice? — but the confident 22-year-old has put those fears to rest. At least by his words. He just wants to learn as much as he can and get acclimated to the NFL.
“I think the biggest thing throughout all of this is just getting here and hearing the mentality of the coaches,” Hurts said, “and hearing the mentality of the people in this building, in this organization, and seeing the approach they want to have and we want to have as a team right now. It’s all about taking those steps.”
Jalen Hurts is working with Press Taylor (#Eagles QB coach) in huddle situations and callling plays. He’s a quick study, per Pederson.
“He’s calling plays and being able to just spit that back to him. He’s done that at a really good, high level … I’ve been really impressed.”
No one in the Eagles’ locker room has a negative word to say about Hurts. He seems to be a quiet kid — except for when he’s singing Al Green — and works hard on his craft. He and Wentz have been bonding in the quarterbacks’ room.
“Man, he’s a lot of fun. He’s very chill, very competitive,” receiver Greg Ward said. “He’s a hard worker. Asks a lot of questions. Student of the game. And that’s what you need. He’s following Carson and they are doing great things in the quarterback room.”
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