The Philadelphia Eagles took a massive step back last season. From winning the Super Bowl to bowing out in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, the letdown was massive for the entire team. Given the state of the offense, a lot of the blame fell directly on Jalen Hurts.
Despite his resume, the dual-threat quarterback has been the subject of a ton of criticism. With some obvious flaws in his game, many believe this could be a make-or-break year for him. However, a franchise icon still remains one of his staunchest supporters.
Jalen Hurts Still Has His Merits
Hurts’ resume is hard to match. A three-time Pro Bowler, who finished in the top two in MVP once, the Eagles star has a lot of upsides to his game. Since he became the season-long starter in 2021, the team has never missed the playoffs.
But this past year, the negatives were more pronounced than ever. With wide receiver A.J. Brown shouting from the rooftops about the state of the offense, the blame fell squarely on Hurts as they ranked near the bottom of the league in three-and-out possessions.
LeSean McCoy, though, still believes Hurts can be the answer for the Eagles. During the latest episode of “Speakeasy,” he offered a comprehensive defense of the three-time Pro Bowler, even comparing him to another elite quarterback, Joe Burrow.
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“Y’all want Jalen to be this guy. He’s not Joe Burrow,” McCoy said. “He’s not. He’s not going to sit here and throw the ball. That’s not him. He’s not gonna get 5,000 yards. He’s not doing that.”
However, McCoy believed that shouldn’t take away from the things he does do well.
“But what he is going to do is manage the game the right way, as in not turn the ball over, make the right plays when it needs to be made, throw the ball when it needs to be thrown, and run the ball and let our defense win games. That’s what we do.”
Moreover, the biggest point of contention for the six-time Pro Bowler and legendary running back was the results that were being overlooked in Hurts’ case. With two trips to the Super Bowl and a championship on his resume, his style is getting the job done.
“He’s a winning quarterback,” McCoy added. “I tell people all the time, the name of the game is to win. And the way we win games ain’t throwing the ball 40 times a game. That’s not how we win. So if he wins this year, the way he wins, can we please get off the Jalen Hurts you-know-what?”
With Brown traded from the roster and the organization diversifying its wide receiver corps, the onus is now on Hurts to deliver. Last year, after three consecutive finishes in the top-10 of PFN’s QB Impact Metric, he fell all the way to number 16.
As a result, he is going to remain a focus during the 2026 NFL season, especially if the Eagles get off to a slow start. But given his resume, an uptick in production could silence all the doubters really quickly.
