Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and WR Greg Ward connected on three touchdowns in 2020.
Jalen Hurts threw his first NFL touchdown to Greg Ward last year in Week 12. The 32-yard strike helped expedite Carson Wentz’s banishment to Indianapolis. So it’s only fitting that Ward would be leading the PR campaign for Hurts in 2021.
The Philadelphia Eagles are moving forward with Hurts as their starter. And while many talking heads aren’t predicting too much out of the second-year quarterback, Ward fired a warning shot to all the haters. Hurts has been putting both the physical and mental reps in throughout the offseason. You better start putting some respect on his name.
“Jalen is going to make, I would say he’s going to open everybody’s eyes,” Ward told reporters. “I already know what he’s going to do. The team, we all know in the locker room, on the staff, we all know what he’s going to do. I don’t think everybody else gives him that respect that he needs. He’s just ready to prove himself and that’s all you need.”
Jalen Hurts hits Greg Ward for the TD on 4th-and-18. Philly sports radio tomorrow will be something else.
Color me intrigued. Tell us more.
“He’s very explosive in every part of the game, throwing or running, it really doesn’t matter,” Ward said. “He’s just a big play waiting to happen. Every single year I believe everybody has to prove themselves over and over again. What you did last year didn’t matter.”
In addition to catching Hurts’ first professional touchdown, Ward hauled in two first-half scores from the quarterback in Week 14. The 25-year-old receiver finished with six total touchdowns in 2020, three of them from Hurts.
And it’s not a huge coincidence since the two Texas natives grew up less than four hours away from each other. Ward went to the University of Houston and Hurts’ hometown is Houston. They have been “very tight” for some time.
Hurts to Ward again!
@JalenHurts has three TD passes in this first half. #FlyEaglesFly
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Darius Slay Clarifies Julio Jones Comments
Everyone who knows Darius Slay understands that he’s a bit of a class clown. Serious on the field, but a prankster off it. So when the three-time Pro Bowler tagged Julio Jones on Twitter in an open-ended recruiting pitch, no one really took it seriously.
The Philadelphia Eagles — a team in a rebuilding phase — don’t have the salary-cap space to take on Jones’ contract anyway. Still, Slay cleared the air about it.
“I was kind of just interacting with the fans, with the Julio stuff going around,” Slay said. “He’s a talented guy, a future Hall of Famer, man, so who wouldn’t want him? I was just being a clown a little bit like I always am on social media.”
Slay wasn’t ready to joke about the Eagles’ new-look secondary under first-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. The new coaching staff’s energy is through the roof and they have put an emphasis on taking the ball away. That’s a good thing considering Philly’s 19 takeaways in 2020 ranked near the bottom of the league.
“We’ve been preaching, a lot of guys, that’s all we’ve been talking about this offseason is to be a turnover machine,” Slay said. “So that’s been our main goal. Our main goal overall is to win, but as a defense, as a whole, we want the ball and that’s what’s going to happen.”
DeVonta Smith’s Legendary Work Ethic
The Eagles aren’t expected to dole out traditional roles to the wide receivers in Nick Sirianni’s offense. DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward occupy the top three spots atop the depth chart, with all three players being cross-trained at every position on the field.
Greg Ward confirms that every receiver has to learn every position on the field. Inside, outside, slot, wherever. They will all move all over the formation. Ward said he can’t believe he’s the oldest guy in the group at age 25. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
But Smith — the 10th overall pick out of Alabama — has been generating the most buzz. His manic attention to detail is already the stuff of legends. Ward mentioned that he and Smith have been staying after practice to get extra work in, along with Darius Slay and Jalen Hurts.
“Everybody’s going to up their game. Period,” Ward said. “He’s a very explosive, dynamic player. You’ve seen what he did at Alabama. I think that’s just going to bring a lot of excitement and explosion to our offense, with that everybody just has to work. I would take that approach every single day, it doesn’t matter who’s in the building.”
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