Jalen Hurts Is Doing A Lot Right Ahead Of A Major Year
Jalen Hurts is heading into the most important year of his career. His first full year as a starter was not earth-shattering, but also not terrible. 16 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 15 starts is mostly acceptable for a young quarterback in this day and age. However, both personally and team-wide, there are big expectations for 2022. The former Oklahoma play-caller seems to be doing a lot right in the locker room, according to veteran offensive lineman Lane Johnson. With two years left on his rookie deal, Hurts must impress sooner or later if he wants to stick around. Honestly, it’s hard not to feel good about his chances.
The Eagles turned a lot of heads by making the playoffs, despite being kicked to the curb by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Philly GM Howie Roseman has taken that 2021 momentum and had arguably the best offseason of any team. The Birds had a laundry list of needs for the offseason, and Roseman hit a home run in a variety of ways. Whether it was drafting Jordan Davis as the heir to Fletcher Cox, trading for AJ Brown and keeping draft capital for 2023, or adding Haason Reddick and James Bradberry in free agency, the Eagles have become built to win now. At the end of the day, it’ll mostly come down to Hurts how far they fly in 2022.
The Tools Are There
Jalen Hurts could absolutely become a great starting quarterback, if you ask me. At 6-foot-1, he is shorter but not undersized. He has also shown to be quite mobile out of the pocket. However, a 61.3 completion percentage leaves more to be desired. However, his group of weapons looks great with the addition of Brown. Him, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Miles Sanders look like a pretty formidable group of starters. Not having to rely on Jalen Reagor actually catching the ball will certainly make life easier for Hurts. Regardless, 2022 will be a make-or-break year for him. One could argue the reason the Eagles swapped picks with the Saints would be to give them more ammunition in the search for an elite quarterback. If Hurts doesn’t at least make steps forward in his development, he could be sent out or made a backup.
You definitely should not give up on Jalen Hurts, though. As a Giants fan, I see similarities between his situation and Daniel Jones’. Two young QBs, who have occasionally shown promise, but are on a relatively short leash. In Danny Dimes’ case, the Giants also improved, especially at the offensive line. The selection of Evan Neal out of Alabama is an obvious reason why. However, picking up veterans like Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski is a plus. If he doesn’t wow the new regime in time, there’s a chance his time in New York is up with a perfectly capable backup in Tyrod Taylor sitting there. Bias aside, I see Hurts having a better shot of sticking around, considering he has a far better team surrounding him. Believe it or not, the NFC East is shaping up to be entertaining.
