Thus far, the first three games of his sophomore campaign has been up and down for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The former second-round pick from Oklahoma is completing 66% of his passes for 780 yards with six total touchdowns and two interceptions. Unfortunately, Philadelphia ranks in the bottom 10 of the NFL in points scored and has lost two consecutive heading into this week’s outing against the favored Kansas City Chiefs.
Enter into the equation a real possibility that Hurts might not be long in Philadelphia. According to Chris Simms of NBC Sports, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has given general manager Howie Roseman and the go-ahead to trade for embattled Houston Texans Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson.
“Philadelphia is in that mix for the Deshaun Watson thing,” Simms said. “That’s a real thing. From everything I know, the owner has given them the green light as far as Howie Roseman and company to make that deal if it’s right.”
Ownership would obviously have to sign off on a deal surrounding Watson given the bounty it would take to acquire the 25-year-old quarterback and his off-field situation right now. Remember, he’s facing allegations from north of 20 women of sexual assault and/or misconduct. While Watson has yet to be charged criminally, that’s a major backdrop here.
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Philadelphia Eagles interest in Deshaun Watson
Prior to the aforementioned allegations being levied against Watson, Philadelphia was among the teams most bandied about in trade possibilities once the quarterback made it clear he wanted out of Houston.
There’s good reason for this.
The Philadelphia Eagles have an additional first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and what will likely be another second-round selection stemming from the Carson Wentz trade to the Indianapolis Colts last offseason.
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Any objective person would conclude that Watson is an upgrade over Hurts. The former first-round pick from Clemson led the NFL in passing yards a season ago with 4,823 while tallying 36 total touchdowns against seven interceptions.
As for Philadelphia, this is certainly something to keep an eye on should the team struggle gathering wins with Hurts under center moving forward.