Jalen Hurts has provided the spark in the Philadelphia Eagles offense that head coach Doug Pederson was seeking over the last three weeks. Pederson finally made the decision to bench Carson Wentz after the team's franchise quarterback transformed into one of the worst signal callers in the league over the past nine months -- giving Hurts an opportunity to show the organization he can be the quarterback to lead the team going forward.
The results have been mixed -- depending on how one evaluates Hurts' game -- but Hurts has shown enough to warrant an opportunity to start for the Eagles in 2021. Based on how the Eagles offense has performed under Hurts compared to Wentz -- along with the quality of competition Hurts has faced in his three starts -- there shouldn't be a competition for the job in 2021. Hurts has done enough to lead a team that is about to embark on a rebuild, making the Eagles a tough out in a weak NFC East next season.
Whether Hurts can establish himself as a franchise quarterback is up for debate, but the Eagles drafted him for a reason. Can that spark Pederson sought from Hurts in 2020 became a flame in 2021? Here's why the Eagles have to find out:
The offense has improved
Hurts was able to make the Eagles offense exciting -- the same offense that lacks a receiver that has over 60 catches and over 600 yards in 15 games and has started 13 different offensive line combinations. The Eagles offense ranks second in the NFL with 437.3 yards per game (behind only the Buffalo Bills) in Hurts' three starts and their 171.3 rushing yards per game rank fourth in the league.
Compare that to Wentz's 12 starts -- and we're counting Hurts replacing Wentz in the Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers -- the Eagles were 29th in yards per game (319.1) and 14th in rushing yards per game (116.5). That's a significant difference, no matter how little Pederson commits to running the ball. While the points per game only improved from 21.1 in Wentz's 12 starts and 21.3 in Hurts' three starts, the Eagles put up 400-plus yards in each game under Hurts (only one under Wentz) including a season-high 477 in this past week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles have problems on offense with the lack of separation from receivers and a beaten up offensive line, but Hurts actually made this unit competent. Wentz was supposed to be the quarterback to make that happen.
Hurts' debut has been historic
There has only been one quarterback since 1950 to throw for over 800 yards and rush for over 200 in yards in his first three starts -- and that's Jalen Hurts. The Eagles quarterback has been impressive since becoming the starter, facing two top-15 defenses and leading the offense to over 400 yards against both. Hurts became the first quarterback in the past 70 years to throw for 150 yards with a passing touchdown and rush for 100 yards in his first career start, against the then-No. 1 defense in the New Orleans Saints.
Hurts has completed 54.9% of his passes for 847 yards with five touchdowns to two interceptions in his three starts, while rushing 39 times for 238 yards and a score. He has six fumbles since becoming the starter, losing one. The completion percentage and fumbles are parts of the game Hurts needs to improve, but he's only started three games. He's made rookie mistakes -- as expected -- but has shown the Eagles enough to warrant seeing what he can do with a full sample size next year.
Look at the improvements of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson over the past two years.
Healthy offensive line
The Eagles offensive line combinations in the three games Jalen Hurts has started (from left tackle to right tackle):
- Week 14: Jordan Mailata, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Nate Herbig, Jack Driscoll
- Week 15: Mailata, Seumalo, Kelce, Herbig, Matt Pryor
- Week 16: Mailata, Seumalo, Kelce, Herbig, Pryor
Only Seumalo and Kelce were on the first team heading into the season. Notice Pro Bowlers Brandon Brooks (right guard) and Lane Johnson (right tackle) are absent from that list? Both players are in their early 30s, but still are in the prime of their careers -- and should be back healthy in 2021. Imagine Hurts behind an offensive line that gives him more time to throw and more running lanes to scramble and make a play.
The Eagles will have a competition at left tackle between Mailata and 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard, so they'll have depth at tackle -- at the very least -- with Driscoll back in the mix. The biggest question on this offensive line is Kelce, who has flirted with retirement in the last two offseasons. If Kelce does decide not to return, Herbig or Seumalo could go to center with the other moving to left guard.
When healthy, the Eagles offensive line is one of the best in the game -- and they'll actually have some depth at tackle to protect the quarterback. Give Hurts an offseason working with a healthy offensive line and see how he progresses over the next several months. He could take even more strides in year two as the Eagles will have a better evaluation of what Hurts actually is.
Doug Pederson and a full offseason
For all the criticism Pederson gets as the Eagles head coach, he's pretty good at getting the most out of his quarterbacks not named Carson Wentz. Pederson is the play caller that has gotten Hurts off to his historic start, even though the Eagles are just 1-2 in his three starts. That's not on Hurts, as the Eagles defense has given up 526 and 513 yards over their last two games -- allowing a total of 70 points. Not many teams are going to win games giving up that many yards and points, no matter how well the quarterback plays.
Let's look at how Pederson has adjusted his game plan to tailor it to Hurts' strengths, not making the offense as complicated as his rookie signal caller learns how to play in the NFL. The simplicity may play a role in why the Eagles offense struggles in the second half of games, which is what Pederson and Hurts can work on over the offseason.
The Eagles are likely going to go through a change at offensive coordinator, which could also benefit Hurts as he develops. Bringing in a coordinator that can work on Hurts' pocket management and progression this offseason can make him a true dual-threat at the position like Lamar Jackson.
Paging Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban -- come to join the Eagles and help mold Hurts!
The Eagles are competitive
Philadelphia has the embarrassment of being the only team eliminated from the playoffs in the NFC East heading into the final week with a 4-10-1 record -- which was created long before Hurts took over the quarterback spot. Truth of the matter -- the Eagles have been competitive the last three weeks, beating a playoff team in the Saints and one play away from beating another potential playoff team in the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles were even up early on the Cowboys before the offense stagnated and the defense allowed Dallas to score on five consecutive possessions.
The NFC East could have a 6-10 champion this year and the division hasn't shown enough where one team will make a significant improvement next year. The New York Giants and Washington Football team should be better in 2021, but have quarterback situations of their own while the Cowboys are the most helter-skelter team in the league.
Hurts is good enough now to keep the Eagles competitive in a poor division. With the offensive line getting healthy and a top-10 draft pick coming, the Eagles can add a playmaking wideout to further compliment Hurts and make the offense more explosive. Let's not forget the defense needs to make significant changes as well.
The Eagles may not win the NFC East in 2021, but Hurts gives them a fighting chance to take the division. He's shown the ability to change a game like Lamar Jackson -- the Eagles should let him take advantage of that opportunity.
