Could Jalen Hurts Be An Elite Quarterback In 2022?

We’re officially into the dog days of summer. The only sport in action is Major League Baseball and the NFL season is getting closer but not close enough to start thinking X’s and O’s.

 

Considering the absolute dumpster fire of a week it’s been for Philadelphia sports, with the Phillies once again forgetting how to score runs and the Flyers causing a level of outrage I haven’t seen since, like, last October (Benjamin Simmons), I wanted to lighten the mood a little bit.

 

Nothing brightens the day in this town quite like some Eagles talk. In all my years of being a die-hard fan of the Birds, it’s hard to recall any player being the cause of so much disagreement amongst the fans like Jalen Hurts. Some may bring up the fact that the city nearly burned to the ground in 2018 when the fans bickered over whether Carson Wentz or Nick Foles should have been the starting quarterback going forward (spoiler: it was neither).

 

But when it comes to individual players, few have been so polarizing. Perhaps the funniest part to me is that Hurts has done nothing to bring upon the hate he gets. In terms of intangibles, Hurts has it all. He has the exact mentality of the perfect quarterback. All reports suggest he’s a film room junkie, an inspiring team leader, a guy that will take the blame when things go wrong and deflect the praise when things go well, and just a flat out winner everywhere he goes. Off the field, all signs point to him being an outstanding human.

 

So, what’s the issue? Quite frankly, on the field, Hurts left something to be desired in 2021. While it was just his first full year as the unquestioned starter for the Birds, a year in which he unexpectedly guided the Eagles to a playoff berth, there were some noticeable flaws in his game. The most detectable downside was his inconsistency in the passing game, both with decision-making and accuracy.

 

There are many reasons to believe that there will be improvements from Hurts in 2022. For all intents and purposes, 2021 was essentially Hurts’ rookie season. It was his first year as the full-time starter, under a new coach with an entire new playbook and coaching staff (outside of the man, the myth, the legend Jeff Stoutland). No one should have expected him to be elite right out the chute.

 

Reason For Belief

 

Elite Runner

First and foremost, Hurts is downright awesome as a runner. Not only can he scramble when a play breaks down and pick up a first down, but he can also use his legs to escape the pocket and keep his eyes down field. The first play that comes to mind is this play against Washington, which I had the opportunity to witness live (from the nosebleeds).

 

 

While some may argue that those kind of plays are a product of his inability to make decisions quickly in the pocket, that feels like a reach to me. When a quarterback like Hurts is able to extend the play like that and get out of the pocket, the play has a higher chance of becoming an explosive play.

 

In terms of running with the purpose of gaining yardage, Hurts was a big reason why the Birds were the top-ranked rushing team from a year ago. He adds an extra element to the offense when the defense has to worry about defending the quarterback in the run game too. Even in read options where Hurts doesn’t actually run with the ball, there is a defender that has to be used to key in on Hurts. That’s one less defender who can make the tackle on the ball-carrier.

 

When Hurts has the opportunity to run with the ball, well, good luck Charlie.

 

 

Underrated Passer?

When it comes to throwing the football, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not exactly impressed with Hurts. With that being said, he’s not even close to as bad as we may make him out to be while watching from our couches. This is a really specific stat, so stay with me here. When Hurts was pressured, he led the league in most on-target passes that traveled at least 15+ yards in the air.

 

To me, that says his accuracy issues tend to be more mental than physical. When a quarterback is being pressured, they have no time to think. Therefore, the quarterback will revert to natural instinct when throwing the football. If Hurts is as accurate as the stats suggest when he’s under the most heat, then that leads me to believe that physically he’s more than capable of making all the throws.

 

Those that think Hurts doesn’t have good arm strength simply haven’t been watching. No, he doesn’t sniff the arm talent of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or even Carson Wentz. But to say that Hurts doesn’t have the ability to make every throw required of him at the NFL level in this offense is foolish. Couple that with a level of accuracy that I think is untapped, and I’d be shocked if we didn’t see an improved passer.

 

 

Slow your roll, this graphic doesn’t mean Jalen Hurts is the next Josh Allen. What I take away from this post has more to do with how quick we are to make a final judgement of a player, especially at the quarterback position, so early on in their career. Not every player is like Mahomes, who won the MVP in his first season as a starter. Allen wasn’t elite by any means in his first two seasons, and he started eight more games than Hurts. Now, he’s a perennial MVP candidate.

 

Longshot MVP?

 

By no means is Hurts an MVP favorite, nor should he be. Quite honestly, this team doesn’t even need him to be an MVP to be successful. With all the additions they made defensively, plus the massive addition of Hurts’ BFF A.J. Brown, Hurts just needs to improve.

 

If he’s unable to improve in this offense then we’ll know for sure he isn’t the guy going forward. That being said, after a slightly above average season a year ago provided the Birds with a playoff berth, I don’t see a way in which Hurts doesn’t make strides. A year ago, he threw for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions (the nine fumbles were more concerning to me) while rushing for nearly 800 yards and ten touchdowns.

 

He was able to do that in spite of throwing to a rookie Devonta Smith, an unproven Quez Watkins, a pro-bowl level tight end in Dallas Goedert…and Jalen Reagor. Plus, he played in a run-heavy offense while the Birds switched play-callers halfway through the year. He didn’t really have much more room to be anything better than “slightly above average.”

 

In 2022, with the addition of Brown plus more familiarity with his receivers, coaching staff, and playbook, the sky’s the limit for Hurts. That familiarity could lead to Hurts making better and quicker decisions in 2022. The weapons around him will only make him better, not to mention that his offensive line is one of the very best in football.

 

Like I said, no one’s expecting Hurts to be this hybrid of Mahomes, Allen, and Lamar Jackson. I’m asking Hurts to be a more improved version of himself. With his intangibles, a more confident Hurts that becomes an efficient passer would be all the Eagles and their fans could ever ask for.

 

When it comes to MVP, Hurts will need to have good stats and the Eagles as a team need to be one of the best in the league. Unlike baseball, the NFL’s MVP award is at least somewhat dependent on the result of the team. If Hurts can throw for around 4,000 yards, 30 touchdowns (a big leap, but attainable with these weapons), minimize the turnovers, while having similar rushing stats to a year ago, and the Birds are near the top of the NFC, Hurts may just find himself in the conversation for MVP.

 

Keep in mind, when Lamar Jackson won MVP in 2019, he threw for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns, nine interceptions, while rushing for 1,206 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine fumbles while the Ravens won 14 games. All I’m saying is that the hypothetical season I layed out for Hurts is pretty darn close in terms of total production. But that’s a debate for the future.

 

For now, let’s focus on an improved Jalen Hurts. A better Hurts means a better Eagles team, and this roster is loaded with talent. Eagles training camp is less than two weeks away. Get me to September.

 

 

 

By Matt Szczypiorski | July 15, 2022
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