Eagles' Lane Johnson says Jalen Hurts 'carries himself with a lot of poise' and 'demands respect'

Hurts is still looking for consistency as a passer heading into Year 3

There was a lot of smoke this offseason about the Philadelphia Eagles potentially looking to make a change at the quarterback position. They were connected in rumors to Russell Wilson, for example, and with three first-round picks in the coffers, they had the ammo to make a deal if they'd wanted to. 

Of course, things did not work out that way. The Eagles stuck with Jalen Hurts -- at least for this year. And Hurts has at least one big fan along his offensive line in right tackle Lane Johnson, who sung the QB's praises this week. 

"He just carries himself with a lot of poise. I mean, he demands respect," Johnson said on NFL Total Access. "Just the way he approaches day-to-day activity, how he trains, what he does in the film room. And he's a great motivator. He's a great leader. (He's) super behind the scenes, even during summer, he's connecting with a lot of the guys. Lot of receivers. Doing 7 on 7. Just doing typical work to prepare. I know he's excited about the new guys that we have that we drafted and acquired over the offseason, and really just getting ready to go to work."

Hurts has shown incredible dynamism as a runner so far in his career, rushing 185 times for 1,056 yards and 13 touchdowns in his 19 starts. He's been a bit less consistent as a passer, though, completing only 59.1% of his throws at an average of 7.2 yards per attempt, with 21 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. The Eagles came out last season with an extreme pass-heavy slant and did not find much success, so they pivoted to a run-oriented offense that seemed a better fit for Hurts' skills, and the offense became much more efficient. 

Having traded for A.J. Brown this offseason, it looks like Philly wants to get the passing game to another level. Whether or not Hurts is the player to take it there remains to be seen. The Eagles do still have multiple first-round picks in the chamber if Hurts does not live up to expectations and they want to make a trade or secure one of the top-rated passers in next year's draft.