The Jalen Hurts Saga

My Two Cents

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised. This article has no clear structure and is merely a Philly sports fan speculating and ranting about the Eagles. If you're an English teacher I suggest skipping this article. My opinions are probably not popular, so continue reading at your own risk.

With the benching of Carson Wentz and the insertion of Jalen Hurts into the Eagles quarterback position, it is safe to say that the Jalen Hurts saga has officially commenced. Furthermore, Doug Pederson’s ambiguity in declaring the starting quarterback for next week implies that most likely Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback against the Saints and for the rest of the season. That combined with the fact that Doug and moreover, Howie Roseman’s jobs are on the line, signal that the Wentz era is probably over in Philadelphia, or at least in my opinion.

Only time will tell if Jalen Hurts becomes the franchise quarterback fans hope he may be. However, there are two erroneous notions about the Eagles that mostly fans and even some media pundits have proclaimed to be proven based on the 2020 season, but also, in their eyes, further validated by Hurts’ first NFL half. Here are my arguments against them.

Carson Wentz is the biggest problem on the Philadelphia Eagles

In the NFL, the quarterback will receive most of the praise if a team is playing well, but also most of the blame. Besides perhaps Doug Pederson, Carson Wentz has carried most of the negative attention from the team's lackluster play, at least from the fans and media. To say that Carson Wentz had the worst year of his career this season is an understatement. Nevertheless, the most significant problems with the team lie far from him.

Notably, the Philadelphia Eagles cannot develop or draft talent. Whether it’s passing up on DK Metcalf or failing to develop Sidney Jones, the Eagles merely do not have many young productive players outside of Sanders and Goedert. The only Pro Bowler Howie has drafted in his second stint with the Eagles is ironically Carson Wentz. The famous saying “you win through the draft” is and will always be true. The Eagles did it 2017 with Wentz on a rookie contract, and when that contract becomes a veteran contract the team needs to compensate by knocking the draft out of the park. Jalen Hurts will have to deal with the same reality if he is deemed the franchise guy because, if Hurts becomes the franchise quarterback, most likely Howie Roseman will keep his job. Yes, the Eagles can bring in more free agents if they get off of Wentz’s contract and because Hurts is on a rookie deal. However, long-term success comes through the draft, and if the Eagles continue to miss on draft picks and fail to develop them, the quarterback position becomes as irrelevant as the most important position in football can become. As has been the case in the last couple of seasons, aging rosters wear down over the course of a season, and thus, the Eagles need to be better at acquiring quality young talent. If that issue is not changed, changing Carson Wentz with another quarterback will not move the Eagles from top-ten draft status to Superbowl contenders, as many Eagles’ fans, to be frank, foolishly believe.

Personal Side Note:

Problems Bigger than the 2020 Carson Wentz Regression for the Eagles:

  1. The Eagles lack of hits in the draft
  2. The tendency of the front office to hold onto aging players
  3. The inability for the coaches on both offense and defense to fully utilize the strengths of their players

Also, it’s funny to see people celebrating the benching of Wentz when it only symbolizes total organizational failure. Trading or finding another way of getting rid of Carson will not solve all the Eagles’ problems, especially the most important ones, it will only further expose them by removing Wentz as an entity to place total blame on.

The Forgone Conclusion that Jalen Hurts is a Franchise Quarterback

To be clear, Jalen Hurts has played one half of NFL football. I repeat, Jalen Hurts has played one half of NFL football. Perhaps, I have been on Eagles Twitter too often this season, but Hurts had already gained a massive following in the Philadelphia Eagles’ fan base ever since the draft, which has only, as expected, grown as the Eagles putrid season continued. This has led to fans giving Hurts the keys to the car after, despite sounding like a broken record, one half of NFL experience!

In reality, the verdict is still out on Jalen. If Hurts displays more than mere flashes in these next four games, the Eagles probably should not consider drafting a quarterback in the first round of the draft. However, it’s unlikely that Hurts will reach that bar. That combined with the fact that the Eagles will most likely have a top seven draft pick, they should consider trading up for Justin Fields or Trey Lance, depending on the scouts evaluations, ending the Hurts’ saga and moving on from him. However, the Eagles should not draft a quarterback in the first round just to have a competition in camp or controversy throughout the season. The answers on who the future of the franchise is at the quarterback position should be answered by the end of April.

In terms of signing a big-name free agent quarterback with starting-aspiration this offseason, the Eagles would be better off avoiding that and starting Hurts next season if they truly believe he has potential. Signing a prominent and successful back-up quarterback would be undermining Jalen Hurts’ career, repeating the same mistake the Eagles did with Wentz by drafting Hurts.

Unfortunately, with Howie Roseman’s job in Philadelphia being tied to Hurts, Jalen Hurts may be pushed into a starting role next season without merit or on-field evidence.

Personal Side Note:

Jalen Hurts deserves a chance next year if the Eagles are unable to draft a quality young prospect in the first-round of the draft. However, for the next couple of seasons the Eagles should evaluate him on a season by season scenario based on his play and his supporting cast to see if he is truly a franchise quarterback.

Final Thoughts

The Eagles are most likely going to trade Carson Wentz this season, and probably fire Doug Pederson. Frankly, the Philadelphia Eagles organization failed Wentz more than Wentz failed himself. That being said, Carson undoubtedly deserves blame for the performance and decision making he had this season. Nevertheless, the lack of prioritizing a cast of characters around him that he could grow with on the field in both the skill positions and offensive line combed with the self-created quarterback controversy by drafting Jalen Hurts are two critical factors leading to his regression in 2020, and more importantly the permanent closing of the already dwindling Philadelphia Eagles’ Superbowl window.

Although I emphatically believe that firing Doug and trading Wentz is premature after three seasons of playoff-berths, one of which, granted, Foles led the team to the postseason, if Jeffrey Lurie wants to clean-house, my advice to him would be to really mean it. Do not give the allusion of cleaning house by firing the head coach, quarterback, and GM, who I have an uneasy feeling will stay with the team next season. Every scout, player, and coach, should be considered on the chopping block even if it means some collateral damage.

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Featured photo from Kevin Burkett

Jalen Hurts Photo via Steve Cheng