Ad Disclosure
Every Jalen Hurts Discussion is Pointless if it Does Not Start with the Fact that he is a Dual-Threat Quarterback
Published:
As we mercifully clear hump day and inch closer to Kenny Pickett and the Las Vegas Raiders, Jalen Hurts blathering continues.
Whenever something starts to get out of hand, it’s good to take a step back and return to the drawing board and frame an argument, and in the case of QB1:
- He is a dual-threat quarterback.
- He has never been a pro-style pocket passer.
- His ball protection in 2024 was elite and a significant factor in the Super Bowl run.
- The only reason the tush push was successful and (mostly) unique to the Eagles was because of Hurts’ physical traits.
- His ability to scramble, extend plays, and make off-schedule throws is typically high-level, and reminiscent of what Donovan McNabb did in his first five Eagles seasons.
That’s the groundwork for any Hurts discussion, yet it seems like a lot of these arguments focus only on his passing ability, or lack thereof. Chris Simms went on a minutes-long rant the other day in which he did not even mention the fact that Jalen ran for almost 800 yards and 19 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions in 19 games.
For comparison, Simms himself threw 18 picks in 23 career games.
What the Eagles offense did well in 2022 and 2024, the Super Bowl seasons, was play to strengths while masking weaknesses. They ran the ball with Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders behind the league’s best offensive line. They ran Jalen Hurts with zone read and RPO and empty-set A gap QB draws. Hurts scrambled for chunk yardage, limited interceptions and fumbles, and threw high-percentage passes he was comfortable throwing, mostly outside of the hashmarks while mixing in explosive go balls for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The offense was designed very specifically to feature what the collection of players was good at.
So it seems like detractors are arguing for Jalen Hurts to be something that he never has been and never will be. He threw the ball 40 times the other night and only ran it four times, for eight whopping yards. As we mentioned in a recent story, Hurts is 1-8 in games when he has to throw the ball 39 times or more. Make it 1-9 now. Conversely, he’s 13-0 in the regular season when running the ball 14 times or more, and 3-1 in the playoffs when running it 10 times or more. In both Super Bowls, he had 70+ rushing yards and, not coincidentally, played some of his best football.
To me, the discussion isn’t about benching or not benching QB1. The question is whether or not the Eagles can get back to the identity that made him Super Bowl MVP in the first place. If they can’t run the ball with Saquon, they’re not going to be successful. If they aren’t using Jalen with designed runs, they’re not going to be successful. If Jalen doesn’t scramble effectively and extend plays with his feet, they’re not going to be successful. If he has to throw the ball too many times in each game, they’re not going to be successful. If he’s turning the ball over, they’re not going to be successful.
And if he can’t do those things, or won’t do those things, then certainly you turn the page and move on. But before we even reach that point, we have to see if the square peg can be removed from the round hole.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com