You would never know Jalen Hurts is a rookie quarterback based on his level of play. You would never know Hurts is a Philadelphia Eagles quarterback based on the effusive praise from his bitter division rival.
“You have to admire what he’s doing,” Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “We watched the Philly game yesterday against the Cardinals. (It’s) just amazing what he’s doing as a rookie, just stepping right in. You hear he’s got a ton of respect on the team, (that) he’s a hard worker. To some degree, he reminds you, I’m not going to go as far as to say all the details of (his skillset). His leadership, competitiveness and the success he’s having quickly reminds (me) a lot of our guy, Dak.”
“And this is just what I’m seeing from afar. It’s so unfair for me to judge. He competed his tail off against a really good Arizona Cardinal football team. Certainly, Kyler Murray is playing at a high level, and I think he went step-for-step with him and just came up a little short at the end.
“So, we’re going to have our hands full when we play Jalen. His success in college speaks for itself. He had some real highs and got knocked down a little bit when Tua (Tagovailoa) came in. And he stepped right back up again for Alabama and helped them finish off a championship, and then moved over to Oklahoma (and had success there). (It) seems like everywhere he goes he just wins. So, hats off to him.”
Hurts’ heroics were on full display against the Cardinals on Sunday, in only the second career start for the Texas native and Oklahoma alum. He completed 24-of-44 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, adding 11 rushes for 63 yards and an additional score. Hurts ultimately was out-dueled by Kyler Murray and Philadelphia suffered its ninth defeat, 33-26.
But the point remains: Hurts — who upset the Saints in Week 14, becoming the first player to rush for 100-plus yards against their defense — is the real deal.
And he’s coming to JerryWorld this Sunday.
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Cowboys Were Interested
Hurts, 21, is a dynamic athlete equally capable of burning defenses through the air and on the ground. The one-and-done Sooners standout and 2018 Alabama national champion threw for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns and ran for 1,298 yards and 20 scores last season alone, en route to first-team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors.
Hurts clocked a 4.59 forty time and recorded a 35.0-inch vertical jump at the Combine. He checked in at 6-foot-1, 222 pounds with 9 3/4-inch hands and 31 3/4-inch arms. He’s a natural-born leader and winner (38-4 career record as a starter) who boasts a knack for delivering in the clutch.
You may recall that Dallas exhibited legitimate intrigue in the run-up to the 2020 NFL draft, as owner/general manager Jerry Jones conducted a virtual interview with Hurts back in April — the first-ever remote meeting between Jones and a top college prospect.
The interest never materialized, however. Hurts was taken by the Eagles at No. 53 overall, two picks after the Cowboys selected Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs. The team would wait until the seventh round to nab a QB, opting for James Madison’s Ben DiNucci.
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Sticking with Dak
Jones confirmed the Cowboys were sniffing around the potential of Hurts in a silver-and-blue uniform. And it wasn’t merely due diligence; he admitted “we looked at him really hard.”
That the trigger wasn’t pulled, though, speaks to the front office’s comfortability with Dak Prescott as their franchise quarterback. Though nobody could predict Prescott’s season-ending injury, Jones again affirmed his intention to lock down the 2021 unrestricted free agent on a long-term deal.
“Obviously, our guy is Dak, but at the same time, Mike’s (McCarthy) is a big proponent of continuing to look at quarterbacks, and he (Hurts) went off the board as he should of there in the second-round. We, certainly, had interest in him. But, as I’ve said all along, our complete commitment is to Dak Prescott. And we look forward to getting his deal finished. He’s the leader of the team and we certainly miss him,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.
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