According to a report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Jeffrey Lurie has sent a message to the front office and new coaching staff: Jalen Hurts is the guy moving forward.
Appearing on ESPN, this is what Chris Mortensen had to say about the situation:
"“Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Eagles, has basically sent the message to his personnel department and his general manager Howie Roseman that he wants to do everything he can to help Jalen Hurts be successful and not bring in somebody to compete for the job,” Mortensen said. “Now they have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni, he understands what the owner wants, the owner gets.”"
After the benching of Carson Wentz during week 12 against the Green Bay Packers, Hurts went on to start the final four games of the regular season. During that time frame, Hurts lit a spark for a stagnant Eagles offense, scoring nine total touchdowns while leading them to a 1-3 record. While that does not seem like much, Eagles’ fans seem much appreciated the change, as Wentz’s struggles were never-ending.
Are Eagles really committing to Hurts or smokescreening?
While there is a chance that this report was leaked as a smokescreen, putting a full effort behind Hurts makes the most sense moving forward. The Eagles spent a second round pick on Hurts, which is a pretty high value. Although they backed Carson Wentz after the draft, it was clear that Hurts was brought in as insurance in case Wentz struggled. Their gut feeling was right, as Wentz is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Combining this along with his play in his four starts, and it does not come as a surprise that Lurie wants to go all-in with Hurts.
With the decision made, Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni and the rest of the Eagles staff can focus on the 2021 NFL Draft other than quarterback. Let’s take a look at three players who the Eagles should target with Hurts at the helm.