PALM BEACH, Fla. — Howie Roseman said it. Nick Sirianni said it. Jeff Lurie said it.
If there’s one thing the Eagles believe to be true about Jalen Hurts, it’s this: The 23-year-old is going to do everything in his power to maximize his potential.
I believe that’s true too.
Maybe it won’t be enough in the long-term. Maybe Hurts is not destined to be the true franchise quarterback of the Eagles because his ceiling isn’t high enough.
But it’s enough for now.
And that’s the approach the Eagles are taking this offseason, as they continuously promote their commitment to Hurts for the 2022 season.
“We have a young, 23-year-old playoff quarterback who gets better every year in college and in the pros,” Lurie said at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday evening. “He’s had really one full year. No one knows where that’s going to end up. What you do know is you have a guy that is incredibly dedicated, excellent leader of men. Players around him gravitate toward him.
“He will do everything and anything to get better and work on every weakness he has and try to maximize every strength he has. That’s why we’re committed to Jalen at age 23. Who knows what the future holds, right?”
None of this means the Eagles didn’t explore their options. The franchise has been quick to use the term “due diligence” whenever someone is asked about reported interest in Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson. And you can probably toss in the quarterbacks in this year’s draft too.
The problem is that the Eagles didn’t end up with Wilson or Watson. And it seems unlikely one of the QBs in this class — considered to be a weaker one — would make them change course either. So they’re going for the next best thing. They’re running it back with Hurts under the hope that he’ll continue to improve in Year 3.
Because even though the 2021 season ended on a sour note for Hurts in the playoffs, he did improve in his second NFL season. And, presumably, he’ll continue to improve in 2022. The Eagles presume this because of Hurts’ dedication.
“I go back to the type of guys that maximize their football potential,” Sirianni said. “What are the common denominator with those guys? They have high character, they have football IQ, they love football, they’re tough and they’re competitive. Jalen is all those things. And Jalen is working on every angle to get better. Whether that’s working with a quarterback guy or studying film, different ways of doing that, he’s doing everything he could to get better.”
Last offseason, Hurts worked with noted quarterback coach Quincy Avery and this offseason Sirianni said Hurts is working out with a different coach in Southern California.
At some point, Hurts will probably get together with his receivers to throw to them just like he has the last couple of years.
He had ankle surgery after the season and I’m sure he’s worked incredibly hard to get back from that injury on or before schedule.
No one has ever questioned his character, his determination and his effort. So without any obviously better options, the Eagles will are understandably hoping that Hurts will prove himself as a no-doubt franchise quarterback this upcoming season.
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Sirianni on Tuesday said he didn’t feel the need to reassure Hurts after rumors of interest in outside quarterbacks. Sirianni said the Eagles have reassured Hurts with their actions, which is pretty questionable. After all, due diligence or not, they did show interest in other quarterbacks.
But Hurts is wired in a way that it probably won’t bother him the way it might some other quarterbacks.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever wavered from the level of commitment that we’ve had in Jalen,” Roseman said. “I think when we say he’s our guy and he’s our starter and we believe in him and we gotta do whatever we can do to help him and give him a chance to reach his potential.”
We already know Hurts will do everything he can to reach his potential. Hopefully, by this time next year, we’ll have a greater sense of whether or not his ceiling is high enough for it to matter.
