Do the Eagles have full confidence in Jalen Hurts? Or might they be looking at quarterbacks in the first round? That’s a key question in the top 10 of the draft.
Jeffrey Lurie, the owner, says he’d like to see the team give Hurts a chance. Hurts did some good things while taking over for the final month of the season, highlighted by a home win over New Orleans.
But Hurts hasn’t done enough for anyone to say with any confidence that he’ll ever develop into an average-type starter. He’s got some ability to create as a runner, with good mobility and more power than most quarterbacks. But he hasn’t shown much yet as a passer.
Can Hurts be more than a Taysom Hill type novelty weapon? That can be debated. He might not have enough touch, accuracy or decision-making ability. If another team had confidence Hurts would develop, he likely wouldn’t have lasted until the second round.
Hurts’ passing numbers last year were underwhelming. After taking over as their starter, he completed only 51 percent of his passes. In the second half of last year, 34 other quarterbacks attempted at least 100 passes, and only two of them finished under 60 percent in completion percentage. Both are guys with plenty to prove – Carson Wentz and Drew Lock.
My expectation is that the Eagles will give Hurts a chance this year. He’ll be their starter, and with that running ability, I think he’s a solid choice as a second quarterback in a 12-team league (given the way rushing production tends to be over-rewarded in fantasy leagues). But when we reach 2022, I’m thinking it will be somebody else at quarterback for the Eagles.
| COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, SECOND HALF OF SEASON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Com | Att | Pct | Yards | TD | Int |
| Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 183 | 246 | 74.4% | 2,046 | 24 | 3 |
| Taysom Hill, N.O. | 84 | 116 | 72.4% | 842 | 4 | 2 |
| Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 197 | 273 | 72.2% | 2,447 | 16 | 2 |
| Josh Allen, Buff. | 210 | 295 | 71.2% | 2,372 | 21 | 5 |
| Mitchell Trubisky, Chi. | 148 | 211 | 70.1% | 1,495 | 10 | 5 |
| Kirk Cousins, Min. | 212 | 307 | 69.1% | 2,410 | 20 | 3 |
| Jared Goff, LAR | 184 | 268 | 68.7% | 1,807 | 7 | 7 |
| Philip Rivers, Ind. | 183 | 269 | 68.0% | 2,082 | 14 | 4 |
| Alex Smith, Was. | 168 | 252 | 66.7% | 1,582 | 6 | 8 |
| Teddy Bridgewater, Car. | 156 | 235 | 66.4% | 1,627 | 6 | 5 |
| Kyler Murray, Ariz. | 185 | 279 | 66.3% | 1,841 | 10 | 5 |
| Russell Wilson, Sea. | 173 | 261 | 66.3% | 1,671 | 12 | 5 |
| Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 108 | 163 | 66.3% | 1,244 | 14 | 5 |
| Andy Dalton, Dall. | 164 | 248 | 66.1% | 1,718 | 13 | 5 |
| Matthew Stafford, Det. | 165 | 250 | 66.0% | 1,957 | 12 | 3 |
| Justin Herbert, LAC | 215 | 326 | 66.0% | 2,190 | 14 | 5 |
| Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 200 | 304 | 65.8% | 2,425 | 17 | 5 |
| Tom Brady, T.B. | 197 | 302 | 65.2% | 2,444 | 20 | 8 |
| Ryan Tannehill, Ten. | 148 | 227 | 65.2% | 1,838 | 14 | 4 |
| Derek Carr, L.V. | 168 | 259 | 64.9% | 2,101 | 11 | 7 |
| Baker Mayfield, Cle. | 168 | 263 | 63.9% | 2,049 | 11 | 1 |
| Tua Tagovailoa, Mia. | 152 | 238 | 63.9% | 1,464 | 8 | 5 |
| Daniel Jones, NYG | 112 | 176 | 63.6% | 1,277 | 4 | 1 |
| C.J. Beathard, S.F. | 66 | 104 | 63.5% | 787 | 6 | 0 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt. | 203 | 320 | 63.4% | 1,869 | 15 | 6 |
| Brandon Allen, Cin. | 90 | 142 | 63.4% | 925 | 5 | 4 |
| Cam Newton, N.E. | 112 | 177 | 63.3% | 1,240 | 6 | 3 |
| Matt Ryan, Atl. | 196 | 310 | 63.2% | 2,119 | 14 | 7 |
| Nick Mullens, S.F. | 142 | 228 | 62.3% | 1,585 | 8 | 9 |
| Mike Glennon, Jac. | 111 | 179 | 62.0% | 1,072 | 7 | 5 |
| Drew Brees, N.O. | 64 | 105 | 61.0% | 822 | 7 | 3 |
| Sam Darnold, NYJ | 105 | 173 | 60.7% | 1,163 | 6 | 5 |
| Drew Lock, Den. | 146 | 252 | 57.9% | 1,693 | 10 | 9 |
| Carson Wentz, Phil. | 73 | 132 | 55.3% | 737 | 4 | 3 |
| Jalen Hurts, Phil. | 75 | 146 | 51.4% | 1,034 | 6 | 4 |
—Ian Allan