Jalen Hurts Faces Design-or-Break Season Now That Eagles Are His Team

Heading into the 2021 NFL draft, there turned into once some hypothesis that the Philadelphia Eagles could per chance purpose one in every of the quit quarterback prospects. The Eagles had 2nd-year signal-caller Jalen Hurts on the roster, but now not each person turned into once reportedly provided on the Oklahoma product.

Hurts, as a minimum, had shown promise all the plot in which by plot of his short 2020 audition but turned into once removed from a identified commodity. In accordance with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, it turned into once crew proprietor Jeffrey Lurie who made the final name to stay by Hurts.

“I could per chance maybe now not declare the Eagles web inner unanimity on Hurts as QB1 but sources articulate the boss, Jeffrey Lurie, has instructed his neighborhood to prioritize making Hurts successful in 2021 as against rising a appropriate competition,” Mortensen tweeted.

Obviously, Mortensen’s declare got here a month sooner than the draft, a time whereby smokescreens are prevalent.

This wasn’t a smokescreen, even supposing. The Eagles within the end traded down from No. 6 to No. 12, handed on a quarterback in Spherical 1, and even traded again up to snag Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith with the 10th total different.

Smith and Hurts spent two seasons alongside with the Crimson Tide sooner than Hurts transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma.

Now that the Eagles web made Hurts their new franchise quarterback—and web within the end given him a No. 1 receiver—the 22-year-broken-down is going to face the force of a comprise-or-spoil season. Philadelphia has build deal of effort into making Hurts “the particular person” and is going to quiz results.

How We Received Here

Carson Wentz is now not the quarterback with a statue commence air of Lincoln Monetary Field. That honor belongs to worn backup Cleave Foles, who steered the ship all the plot in which by plot of the 2017 postseason and helped Philadelphia bring dwelling the Lombardi Trophy.

Wentz spent that postseason sidelined by a torn left ACL, but he had been taking half in at an MVP stage sooner than the hurt and there turned into once shrimp doubt that he turned into once the Eagles’ quarterback of the future. Over the next two years, even supposing, accidents and inconsistencies many cases solid doubt on Wentz’s future, and on April 24, 2020, Philadelphia drafted Hurts within the 2nd spherical.

Hurts turned into once now not expected to subject Wentz for the starting gig. As an different, he turned into once drafted as hurt insurance and as a system participant in subpackages.

“Taysom Hill equipment on steroids,” one provide instructed Yahoo Sports activities’ Charles Robinson on the time.

Wentz, even supposing, crumbled under the force of getting Hurts on the roster and had a disastrous season. Hurts turned into once inserted because the starter, whereas Wentz’s relationship with Doug Peterson continued to deteriorate.

“I appropriate know that they had been extra or much less executed with every other,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter stated on 97.5 FM’s John Kincade demonstrate (on the 3: 00 minute stamp).

It had change into positive that Pederson and Wentz weren’t going to coexist in Philadelphia, and when Pederson turned into once within the end fired, it turned into once simple to rob that Lurie, abnormal supervisor Howie Roseman and the Eagles had sided with Wentz.

On the other hand, the Eagles hurried to construct Wentz on the procuring and selling block, within the end sending him to the Indianapolis Colts.

Much less than a year after drafting Hurts as an insurance protection, the Eagles are starting over with Hurts and new head coach Cleave Sirianni. If both is awaiting a grace length in 2021, even supposing, he’s seemingly to be disappointed.

Why There Will Be Excessive Expectations

The Eagles had been infamous closing season. There could be no getting around that truth. They won most efficient four video games, they averaged a mere 20.9 parts per game, and their quarterbacks had been sacked a crammed with 65 cases. Tranquil, Hurts is going to face excessive expectations for a pair of causes.

The first is that Philadelphia has invested in him. They passe a 2nd-spherical address Hurts (53rd total) and passe their first two picks this year to upgrade his supporting solid. First, they took Smith, Hurts’ worn teammate and a prospect with legitimate No. 1 receiver possible.

“He has uncommon quickness, race, and switch-of-direction fluidity, and he creates separation from defenders seemingly at will,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein wrote of Smith. “He possesses an elite skill stage for the gap and could per chance hit the protection from short, mid-vary or deep.”

The Eagles then passe their 2nd-spherical address Alabama within offensive lineman Landon Dickerson, who ought to present rapid depth alongside the line.

With offensive tackles Andre Dillard and Lane Johnson expected to be wholesome, and with 2nd-year wideout Jalen Reagor coming into 300 and sixty five days 2, Hurts ought to web a functional offensive solid.

The opposite cause for excessive expectations is the Eagles web change into passe to success. Yes, they had been infamous in 2020, but they additionally won the Colossal in 2017, won the division in 2018 and made the playoffs in 2019.

This could per chance wisely be time for Hurts to construct up or shut up, as franchises merely don’t capture their time with young quarterbacks anymore. If Hurts can not procure Philadelphia into playoff contention this season, the Eagles will seemingly herald trusty competition—somebody with the next long-term ceiling than Joe Flacco—next offseason.

Mitchell Trubisky turned into once most efficient given four years to cowl himself. Dwayne Haskins bought much less than two sooner than he turned into once shown the door. Hurts could per chance now not be the unquestioned starter coming into 300 and sixty five days 3 if he doesn’t affirm this season.

Why Hurts Can Prevail in 2021

The correct news for the Eagles is Hurts fully has the tools to be a quality starter in 2021. He is a dynamic twin-threat who showed closing season that he can breathe existence into the Eagles offense.

Hurts executed with 1,061 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, four interceptions, 324 speeding yards, and three speeding rankings. Possibly extra importantly, he delivered one in every of most efficient four Philadelphia wins and could per chance honest wisely web long gone 2-2 as a starter if he hadn’t been pulled for Nate Sudfeld within the season finale.

This year, Hurts ought to be even larger. He’ll web a fleshy offseason to organize because the stater and will web an offensive roster that is powerful from skills-starved.

With Dillard and Johnson again, the offensive line ought to be solid. The Eagles quiet web tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, and Hurts could per chance originate powerful worse than a starting receive trio of Smith, Reagor and Travis Fulgham. The Eagles additionally web a quality backfield tandem in Miles Sanders and Boston Scott.

The most attention-grabbing variable here will seemingly be Hurts. He has the skills, the tools and the teammates to attain the Eagles’ 2021 season a successful one.

Will Hurts are residing up to the ability Philadelphia sees in him? That’s a build a matter to he’ll have to reply to on the subject.