Do or die for Jalen Hurts in 2022?
Entering 2022, all eyes are on the newly improved Philadelphia Eagles and their budding quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
No stranger to the spotlight, Jalen has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise for the Philadelphia faithful, who didn’t expect much from the dual-threat when he was taken as the 53rd overall pick in 2020.
After outplaying the Eagles’ former cornerstone quarterback Carson Wentz through four games in his rookie year, he now looks to lead an uber-talented roster on what Eagles Fans hope to be a Super Bowl run.
Through his first two years in Philly he has provided steady leadership and play from the quarterback position that they so desperately needed after an organization-wide overhaul of personnel.
A year in which many predicted the birds to lose double digit games and be one of the laughingstocks of the NFL, Jalen was able to lead the Eagles to a 9-8 record that was capped with a playoff appearance.
Nevertheless, his inconsistency as a passer and lack of high-profile victories has led the Eagles brass and fans to question his status as Philly’s long-term plan at quarterback.
Is Hurts the man to lead the Eagles over the next decade?
On paper, Hurts was considered a talented prospect with a strong arm, elite running ability and impeccable toughness, who lacked the accuracy and consistency as a passer to be great at the next level. In his first year, his porous passing ability was evident as he earned an abysmal 61.3% completion percentage, ranking him 28th in the league.
He additionally placed only 21st in passing yards and 19th in QBR, further illustrating what was a mediocre season in comparison to his peers. Hurts is still an evolving player in this league who is clearly ascending, but his rookie campaign as a passer was uninspiring at best.
And while he was able to win six of eight down the stretch to punch the Bird’s ticket to the playoffs, all came against sub .500 teams.
While some of these shortcomings are surely due to the lack of talent on the roster as well as first year Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni adapting to his new position, Jalen was certainly no world-beater. But, after the notable off-season GM Howie Roseman and the Eagles had, anything short of a major third-year leap could send young Hurts out of Philly sooner rather than later.
After leading the league in rushing yards behind the 4th best offensive line in football, the Eagles made a point to bolster their passing game which ranked a subpar 14th last season.
They did so in a big way through adding Pro Bowl wideout AJ Brown, signing a Nick Sirianni favorite in ex-Colt receiver Zach Pascal and drafting a young forgotten tight end Grant Calcaterra who amassed 1102 yards in college.
It is the emerging young stars that now have another offseason under their belt who will be the real difference makers in the pass game. Guys like DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Quez Watkins who have proven to be prime targets in Sirianni’s passing attack, will look to build on encouraging 2021 campaigns.
Eagles well primed with roster additions
The infusion of veteran experience and a premier talent in AJ Brown should only bolster the play of these young studs which should make for an elite supporting cast around Hurts. Not to mention the signing of established players such as James Bradberry, Haason Reddick and Kyzir White, and the drafting of young explosive players in Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. They should lead to a much-improved defense backing Hurts.
So, with the substantial investment both in offensive and defensive pieces, the pressure to not only win. But dominating the opposition is at an all-time high for the third-year signal caller.
Still, the heightened supporting cast for Jalen Hurts isn’t the only reason the young quarterback needs to show out. In addition to these core acquisitions the Birds were able to stockpile an abundance of picks in the 2023 draft, positioning themselves well to trade up for a top-5 talent at his position.
Not only will they have seven picks including two first rounders, but this upcoming 2023 class of quarterbacks is star-studded. Headed by Heisman winner Bryce Young, this class is projected to have five first-round level guys with ESPN Draft-Guru Todd McShay already projecting all five to go in the top-10 in his early mock draft.
Additionally, it doesn’t help that Hurts will be entering the final year of his contract after this season. The Eagles may be forced to make the franchise altering decision of whether to sign him to a long-term deal or draft one of those top prospects.
Ultimately, with the surplus of talent on the roster, the firepower to pick a premier quarterback in the 2023 draft, and the inevitable decision the Eagles must make on his contract this summer. The 2022 season will decide whether Jalen Hurts is the franchise guy. Or just another failed experiment.
