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Jalen Hurts may reportedly keep Philadelphia Eagles out of 2022 quarterback market

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles went into the summer uncertain about Jalen Hurts, questioning whether or not he could be the long-term quarterback and contemplating a more serious run at a Deshaun Watson trade. More than halfway through the 2021 NFL season, the Eagles now might have their solution at the position.

Hurts easily won the starting job in training camp, emerging as a leader in the locker room and surpassing the play of his competition on the depth chart. The second-year quarterback came out firing in his first start of the season, racking up 264 passing yards, 62 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.

But the 23-year-old quarterback struggled in his next five starts. During Philadelphia’s 1-4 stretch, Hurts completed just 59.5% of his passes, posted a 5-4 TD-INT ratio and a lowly 81.0 passer rating. It brought back doubts about his ability to be a franchise-caliber quarterback over a full season.

It forced head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to make adjustments. The Eagles’ offense was tailored around Hurts’ unique athleticism, his ability to throw on the move and the zone-read fueled a dynamic scoring attack.

“That’s an extra added element that you have, is when your quarterback can get out of trouble and create with his legs, whether that’s a running play or a passing play that breaks down in some way, some shape, some form. So, that’s a big advantage to have. If you look at teams that are high on third down in the past, the quarterback’s had the ability to create with his legs. So, that’s a huge advantage.”

Philadelphia Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on the rushing ability of QB Jalen Hurts, via NFL.com

The numbers in the last four games, a 3-1 stretch for the Eagles, speak for themselves. Hurts is also in rare company, becoming only the third quarterback since 1950 with 15-plus passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing touchdowns in 15 career starts.

  • Jalen Hurts stats (last four starts): 62.82% completion rate, 3-1 TD-INT ratio, 93.4 passer rating

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the recent stretch is generating a lot of confidence in Philadelphia. If Hurts maintains his level of performance, it’s widely expected that the Eagles would commit to him as their quarterback and wouldn’t pursue an upgrade this offseason.

The ramifications of that are significant. Philadelphia already holds its and the Miami Dolphins’ 2022 first-round picks. With Carson Wentz healthy and set to finish the season, the Eagles are poised to also have the Indianapolis Colts’ first-round pick.

Three first-round picks in a relatively deep 2022 NFL Draft allows the Eagles to address multiple needs with high-end talent, acquiring young players on rookie contracts. With Hurts only entering the second year of his entry-level contract, the Eagles would have plenty of cap space to build around him in 2022 and 2023. Considering how bad things looked after the 2020 season, this is a remarkable turnaround for Philadelphia both this year and long term.

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