The Philadelphia Eagles finally made the long-anticipated move of trading Carson Wentz and leaving Jalen Hurts atop the depth chart. Hurts played well down the stretch in 2020, and most figure he will be the unquestioned starter heading into Year 2. However, some believe that the Eagles could take a quarterback with the sixth-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. While Hurts might not be the long-term answer under center, the Eagles should devote 2021 to determining whether or not he can be a franchise quarterback.
[pickup_prop id=”3371″]
Why Jalen Hurts Should Be the Philadelphia Eagles Unquestioned Starter in 2021
Hurts was something of a mixed bag as a rookie, but he showed enough to earn an extended look in 2021. While the efficiency wasn’t always there – especially as a thrower – Hurts brought a new element with his legs that defenses simply couldn’t account for. Philadelphia went 1-3 in Hurts’ four starts, but they probably would have been 2-2 if former head coach Doug Pederson didn’t actively try to lose the final game of the season.
Stylistically, Hurts is very similar to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Like Hurts, Jackson entered the NFL with phenomenal athleticism and serious accuracy concerns. As a rookie, Jackson averaged 0.034 EPA/play with a -6.7 completion percentage over expectation. By comparison, Hurts averaged 0.059 EPA/play with a -8.1 completion percentage.
Jackson, of course, overcame his rookie struggled and became just the second unanimous MVP in NFL history. He followed that up with a solid 2020 and is clearly Baltimore’s long-term answer under center. Expecting an MVP-caliber season out of Hurts is obviously unrealistic, but Jackson’s success proves that a player like Hurts can improve if given a chance. Looking beyond the numbers, Hurts did a few things throughout the year that suggests he is capable of growing as a passer.
Watching the #Eagles film with an eye on Jalen Hurts – what most impressed me was his anticipation on throws outside the numbers. Whether it was man or zone, normal downs, money downs, pressure or no pressure – that stood out. Not perfect – but good signs here #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/KEw9Un13mC
— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) December 21, 2020
There’s Always Next Year
The Philadelphia Eagles are not a good team. That much is obvious after a painful 4-11-1 season, and they don’t have too many ways to improve the roster. The bill has finally come due after years of salary cap manipulation, as the Eagles are currently $43 million over the spending limit. Quite frankly, it’s hard to envision a way for the Eagles to be competitive in 2021.
With that in mind, the Eagles should spent the entire year evaluating Jalen Hurts, and putting him in position to succeed. If he can thrive with Jalen Reagor and somebody like LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, then the Eagles should be able to go 8-8 next year, and the organization can move forward knowing they have a true franchise quarterback. If, however, Hurts fails, then the Eagles will probably have a top-five pick at this time next year.
We’ve already seen what happens to this roster with a bad quarterback, and there’s no reason to believe that situation will improve in 2021. The NFC East is going to be better by default, so the Eagles will probably struggle to win four games if Hurts plays like a bottom-five quarterback.
Jalen Hurts (And A Rookie) Would Be Set Up to Fail For Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback is the most important position in football, as the right passer is capable of completely changing the entire outlook of an organization. However, one player can’t do it alone, and investing the sixth-overall pick in a quarterback means that both Hurts and the rookie will not have much of a shot to succeed.
As previously mentioned, the Eagles do not have the cap space to go out and bring in marquee free agents. Instead, they’ll have to largely rely on the NFL Draft and the players already on the roster for 2021. The offensive line should be better next year, but it’s hard to imagine the pass-catchers getting better. Jalen Reagor certainly has the potential to grow in Year 2, but the rest of the unit lacks any type of upside.
Quite frankly, it would hard for just about any non-elite quarterback to put up good numbers with the current supporting cast. A new quarterback will not fix this issue and will only make life harder for everyone. Instead, the Eagles should either take the best offensive weapon available at 6 or trade down to get multiple starting-caliber players.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
