Yep, you read that right.
Jalen Hurts has gone from being a misunderstood NFL Draft pick to quickly becoming a favorite to become the Eagles’ backup quarterback behind Carson Wentz.
Just a few months ago, Hurts was a guy that came in very underrated and even misunderstood.
Even in a press conference at the end of July, Hurts was still trying to make it clear: he’s an NFL quarterback:
“I’ve played quarterback my whole, entire life, and I’m here just trying to grow at that position. Trying to take steps and be the best quarterback I can be for this team.
I don’t look into the expectations. I don’t worry about those things. I’m worried about just getting better as a quarterback every day. That’s what I’m worried about.
I mean, I don’t want to get into the semantics of those things. I’m just worried about improving. I’ve said it three times and I don’t want to come off or come across any way, I’m just trying to improve every day. I’m just trying to be the best quarterback I can be every day for this team.”
And according to many reports, Jalen Hurts has done just that, and more.
NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah has bragged about Hurts.
During Tuesday’s “Inside Training Camp” on NFL Network, Jeremiah had this to say about Hurts:
“I am excited to see what they do with Jalen Hurts. All reports I have gotten out of Eagles camp, they are blown away with not only how athletic he is, but how smart he is and how much of a professional he is. He just carries himself as a veteran. Everyone has fallen in love with him. How are they going to use him? I know people have used Taysom Hill as a template for him. To me, I do not think he will get that much volume but they’ll find some spots. Maybe it’s in short-yardage, probably a good chance you see him sprinkled in the red zone and be able to do some things running the football and using that mobility.”
Jeremiah also added that the Eagles could make Hurts a special part of the team:
“He is someone they feel they can develop into a starter and be a quality starter.”
If you saw Hurts play at Alabama or Oklahoma, this doesn’t surprise you.
It’s who Hurts is.
Hard working, humble, and talented.
And very underrated and often under appreciated.
But Hurts just keeps going.
Even Eagles’ quarterback coach Press Taylor has been impressed with Jalen:
“He’s been a phenomenal worker, and that’s something we knew about him coming in, that’s always been his background. The kid is very serious about his work, and that has held true. He asks great question, he learns, he studies on his own. You can tell that he’s putting in time outside of our scheduled meeting time because of the questions he comes in and asks the next day, so that’s been fun to see. He has gone above and beyond in terms of his work ethic and how he’s poured himself into this thing.”
Simply put, Jalen Hurts could become a key offensive leader and over time, the next Eagles starting quarterback.
And we’re here for it!
Hurts finished the 2019 season at Oklahoma with a career-high 3,851 yards passing, as well as a career-high 32 passing TDs. He added a career-best 1,298 yards rushing and career-high 20 rushing touchdowns.
In his college career at Alabama and Oklahoma, Hurts recorded almost 9,500 passing yards and 80 touchdowns along with almost 3,300 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns.
Hurts won a national championship, SEC championship and Big 12 championship during his career. He was also named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year this past season, as well as the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year.
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