The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and the man initially responsible for his success on the biggest stage thinks the marriage is a perfect fit.
Hurts has experienced what Carson Wentz is going through, as he was demoted by Saban in favor of Tau Tagovailoa before he transferred to Oklahoma.
Saban told Andrew Siciliano on NFL Network that the situation is perfect for Hurts because he can handle being a backup.
“Jalen Hurts is a great person,” Saban said. “He was a great player here. He went through unprecedented adversity here. I mean who has gone 26-2 as a starter and then all of a sudden was a backup quarterback because of Tua? The guy handled it extremely well, showed great maturity.”
Saban went on to say that the fit works because Hurts will have no problem stepping in for Carson Wentz if he’s needed.
“I think there are a lot of quarterbacks that are having success in the NFL that are outside the old-fashioned prototype dropback passer that are having success,” Saban said. “Jalen has proven that he can win at the position. He won here, he won at Oklahoma. It’s a different style of play, maybe. I think Philly is really good at this. They threw some RPO type plays, moved the pocket a little bit when Foles had to play, and had a lot of success doing that. I think Jalen can play that style really well.”
How will the Carson Wentz – Jalen Hurts – Eagles dynamic work?
More from my conversation with Nick Saban on #NFLNow today @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/RrQxjQqWlX
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 6, 2020
Hurts is expected to start out in a role similar to that of the Saints Taysom Hill, who does a little bit of everything for New Orleans.
The Eagles will partake in the process of developing Hurts for a future as a backup, a tradeable asset, or the eventual replacement for Carson Wentz.
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