Getty Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is entering his second year as the unquestioned starter in Philadelphia.
Training camps are starting, expectations are high, and there is no shortage of opinions on the best starting quarterbacks in football. Where is Jalen Hurts getting ranked on some of those lists? Well, it all depends on the person doing the evaluation.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando put together a comprehensive “tiered quarterback ranking” ahead of the 2022 season. He spoke with 50 NFL coaches and executives for the ninth incarnation of his annual survey, allowing his anonymous sources – 6 general managers, 8 head coaches, 10 evaluators, 12 coordinators, 6 quarterback coaches, 7 front office execs — to be brutally honest. Sando’s panel placed “35 veteran quarterbacks into one of five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5).”
Hurts landed in Tier 3 and tied for No. 20 overall with (not a joke) Carson Wentz. The ranking seems fair when considering Hurts’ body of work. What irked some people was the way one unnamed offensive coach described Hurts.
He called him a poor man’s Lamar Jackson, with a defensive coach questioning “sustainable success.” Here is a snippet:
“He is a poor man’s Baltimore guy (Jackson) because he can’t run that fast, but he’s so serious about his job, and he’s physically and mentally tough,” an offensive coach said. “He will play very, very consistent. He just won’t be a good enough passer over time to get out of the 3s.”
A quandary awaits Philadelphia if Hurts remains the starter.
“Their staff did a masterful job adjusting the offense for Hurts,” a defensive coach said. “It is just very rare that you are going to have sustainable success running a college-style offense with a limited passer. You are on a path where you are either going to recreate Baltimore’s offense or Hurts is going to prove to you that he can play in a pro-style offense or you are going to get a new quarterback.”
It should be noted that Hurts jumped up 10 spots from last year’s rankings, the largest climb for any quarterback in 2022. Two head coaches polled by Sando gave Hurts a shot at ascending into Tier 2 assuming he develops as a bigger passing threat. That growth all depends on what Nick Sirianni asks Hurts to do. Is it another run-heavy offense? Or will Hurts get the opportunity to sit back and sling it? Those answers are coming soon.
“That’s how special he is to me”
-Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts
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Sirianni Confident in Hurts’ Progression, Growth
Sirianni has talked at length this offseason about how Hurts needs to take the next step. He has mentioned quicker decision-making. He has talked about improved footwork. Most importantly, Hurts has to prove he can correctly read a defense and adapt to different looks. These are the things the coaching staff is looking for in 2022, and Sirianni believes Hurts is on track to do it.
“Jalen is, in my opinion, more comfortable in the offense, right. That’s just the part of the process the second year,” Sirianni told reporters on June 8. “He knows where the receivers are going to be versus different looks. He knows where to go with the football a little bit quicker. We’ve done our job as coaches, 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.”
Eagles Sign Kobe Smith, Waive 2 Players
The Eagles officially inked defensive tackle Kobe Smith on July 26. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer will attempt to make the 53-man roster at a crowded position. Meanwhile, Philadelphia released receiver Josh Hammond and defensive tackle Noah Elliss. The roster stands at 88 players heading into camp.
Eagles have signed DT Kobe Smith. Eagles have waived WR Josh Hammond and waived non-football injury DT Noah Elliss.
