Time’s Mine
Jalen Hurts ready to lead Eagles because it’s finally ‘my team’
PHILADELPHIA » If Eagles management has said it once, it has said it a thousand times.
In this never-ending offseason spent kicking the tires on quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, scouting a less than stellar group of college passers and position- ing itself with two picks in the first round of the 2023 draft, which is supposed to be full of quarterbacks, one truth has held.
All together now … the Eagles are Jalen Hurts’ team. At least for 2022, that is.
There’s something very strange about saying that. Even Hurts struggled to control what he could control Wednesday in his first media availability since the 2021 season ended with a playoff loss at Tampa Bay.
“If that’s what they say, it’s understood,” Hurts said in the company auditorium. “It’s my opportunity, it’s my team, it’s pretty much what it is. I’m ready to go. The work has been put in to go out there and achieve what we want to achieve.
“This has been a time for us to come together, spend time together and do all those things. We’re still building. We’re not going out there and playing a game tomorrow, so there’s always work to be put in and any day there isn’t work put in that’s a day missed, that’s an opportunity missed. It’s been the mentality.”
Looking lighter and leaner than last season, which ended with Hurts gimping around with an ankle injury that required surgery, the third-year Eagle was all smiles talking about wide receiver addition A.J. Brown. They’re not only workout buddies, but friendly enough that Brown didn’t think twice when it was clear the Tennessee Titans weren’t going to pay him the going rate for elite wide receivers. For the record, Hurts denied he recruited Brown while conceding he “potentially” had something to do with the Eagles’ decision to send first- and third-round picks to the Titans for the thirdyear veteran. The Birds also gave Brown a new $100 million contract.
“He’s always been an excellent player since I’ve known him in college,” Hurts said of the Ole Miss product. “He has the ability to make plays with the ball in his hand, use his body, box out defenders, break tackles. So, he’s a great addition to a great receiver room we have now and I’m excited.”
Brown (6-1, 226) is built like
Deebo Samuel, only bigger. And he rolls like Samuel, the wideout who wants out of San Francisco and whom the Eagles inquired about. Birds cornerback Darius Slay has a scouting report of Brown having played against him.
To paraphrase, Brown has a skillset that makes his quarterback and teammates look good.
“He’s aggressive, finishes the catches, runs through tackles,” Slay said. “He’s like a running back when he gets the ball in his hand. He makes all the contested catches. People look at him like he’s big and slow. On film I’ve never seen him get ran down yet. So that’s exciting, I’m expecting big plays from him.”
It’s safe to say Hurts feels the same as Slay. He said Brown has, “all the ability to do everything you want him to do as a receiver, and that’s exciting to have.”
Forget, for now, the potential drama that could form should Brown be targeted like the No. 1 instead of DeVonta Smith, the Eagles’ 2021 first-round pick. It’s early to predict a target controversy.
It’s not too early to think about how Hurts is going to take the next step in his development as the starting quarterback. Yes, it helps that he’s in the same role with the same coaching staff for a second straight year. Certainly, the acquisition of Brown is going to help. Hurts even consulted with Tom House, the noted pitching coach, though he denied it was to tweak his delivery or throwing motion.
The only real question is how much more effective and accurate Hurts will get. Only five of 32 qualifying quarterbacks had a worse completion percentage than Hurts (61.3). Only nine had lower passer ratings (87.2).
Even if the organization trusts Hurts to get a little bit better each day, is that going to be enough to beat the good teams the Eagles struggled against last year? Will Hurts be working for the Eagles in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract?
Veteran Brandon Graham has a hunch. In a dozen seasons, he’s played with Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb, Vince Young, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Carson Wentz and Josh McCown beside Hurts.
“I’ve seen him grow a whole lot, especially through all the adversity he was going through,” Graham said. “He didn’t know if he was going to be the guy. There’s so much talk, even this year, like ‘oh man, if they get Jalen this will be his only year to do it because we have a first-round pick next year.’ I just feel like all the crazy stuff he went through; he kept a level head.
“Man, I’m proud of him because all he did was work. He just kept working. Whatever he didn’t do last year I feel like he’s going to do a lot more this year. He’s just going to keep getting better. It does feel good going into the offseason knowing you’re going to be the guy for at least one more year.”
If that last line sounds strange, it’s because, well, it is.