Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni refused to name Jalen Hurts the starting quarterback Wednesday, instead reiterating his intention to hold an open competition.
Sirianni’s comments come on the heels of a report last month that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had instructed the coaching staff to make sure Hurts was ready to assume the starting role when the 2021 season opens. Lurie was against bringing in other QBs for an open competition, per the report.
“To name a starter at this particular time … we’ve been working with these guys for two days,” Sirianni said Wednesday.
The Eagles dealt Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in February for a third-round pick this year and a conditional second-round pick in 2022.
The Eagles selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft to back up Wentz. But when Wentz was ineffective in a Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Hurts replaced him and started the remaining four games of the season, going 1-3 in the role. On the season, Hurts completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,061 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.
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Sirianni also said Wednesday that he and his assistant coaches have been playing rock, paper, scissors and “Jeopardy!” with draft prospects to gauge their competitiveness.
–Field Level Media