At the end of the 2020 season, we got a brief glimpse of what the Philadelphia Eagles could look like with Jalen Hurts leading the charge at quarterback. Carson Wentz was mightily struggling and Doug Pederson elected to insert Hurts, the rookie second-round pick, into the offense in hopes he could provide a spark. Hurts would proceed to finish last season with 919 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in his four starts with the Eagles to conclude the regular season.
What Hurts brought to the offense was a quarterback that could create with his legs. The former Alabama and Oklahoma product would rush for 272 yards and three touchdowns on 46 attempts in his four starts. Entering the 2021 season, following the trade of Wentz, Hurts is primed to be the starting quarterback in Philadelphia in Week 1.
Despite being the starter this season, the question remains: can Hurts take a massive leap forward in the 2021 season with the Eagles?
Why Hurts Won’t Take A Massive Leap
There’s no denying the fact that Hurts is a remarkable leader on and off of the field, earning the respect of his teammates almost instantly. No matter where he plays, Hurts is going to have guys rally around him due to his uncanny leadership qualities. However, there is an uphill climb for Hurts to overcome before he becomes what the Eagles want in a long-term solution at the quarterback position.
For starters, Hurts has to fix his accuracy woes after completing just 51.9% of his passes in his four starts in 2020. Fixing accuracy issues is easier said than done for quarterbacks, and for the most part, a lot of quarterbacks end up never being able to fix it. Also, Hurts showed concerns in his decision-making, tossing three interceptions and losing two of his six fumbles in his four starts.
Hurts Isn’t In The Best Situation To Succeed
Yes, using last year’s four-game sample can be dangerous as Hurts could have drastically improved in certain areas over the course of the offseason. However, even if Hurts did improve, he’s not in the best situation to succeed. The Eagles don’t have a perfectly assembled roster with DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Quez Watkins all expected to be his top wideouts. He’ll also have Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, and Miles Sanders, but Sanders has shown troubles in catching passes.
On top of the unproven receiving corps, Hurts is playing behind an aging offensive line that has had injury concerns in recent years. Lastly, Hurts will be playing under a new head coach in Nick Sirianni, who will need to show that he was the right choice to replace Pederson. Seeing that the new coaching staff in place didn’t select Hurts, I don’t believe Hurts will have a firm hold on the job, which could lead to him having a short leash this season.
While Hurts is definitely a quarterback to root for, it’s hard to envision him being able to evolve into a franchise quarterback in 2021 given the circumstances he’s been put in.
