The Ascension of Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts’ improvement has been the NFL’s biggest surprise this season. All the young quarterback has done is get better and better.
Hurts’ Improvement
In his first year with the Eagles Hurts was not a polished passer to say the least. When drafted to Philadelphia, people speculated that Hurts would provide the Eagles with a Taysom Hill like role and wouldn’t be a threat to Carson Wentz’ starting position. He would miss throws regularly and was mainly a weapon on the ground. But his running ability and his leadership alone was enough to win the starting job over a declining Wentz.
Last season we saw improvement with his accuracy and Hurts’ abilities flashed many times but his decision making was still sometimes questionable. Coming into this season it was unanimous that Hurts needed to prove himself as the longterm answer at his position. Many still questioned his ability to throw the football accurately and called him a ‘running back’.
If the NFL had a most improved player award like the NBA does, Jalen Hurts would have won it by a landslide. Hurts’ development as a passer has exceeded every Eagles fans wildest dreams. Since his rookie season Hurts has improved his completion percentage by 14.5%, his passer rating by 24.0 and his QBR by 32.6. Philadelphia’s quarterback transformed himself from a primary runner to a true duel-threat quarterback.
Jalen Hurts’ improvement has been so drastic that after the 2022 season Hurts was the MVP runner up and took his team to the Super Bowl where he was arguably the best player on the field which includes Patrick Mahomes.
2022 Playoffs
The NFL playoffs is where quarterbacks either show that they are the guy or they fall short under pressure. To be a franchise quarterback you need to have the ability to put the team on your back in the biggest stage with the brightest lights. And Jalen Hurts answered the call.
While the team didn’t need much out of him until the Super Bowl, Hurts still performed well and played smart through the teams first two playoff games and that’s all the team needed. But once the Eagles stepped foot in Arizona for Super Bowl LVII they needed Hurts to step up.
The Eagles may have come up short in America’s biggest game but they came out knowing that their quarterback is special. In Super Bowl LVII Hurts accounted for 374 total yards and 4 touchdowns. He made play after play to keep the offense on the field and looked like a grown man playing with kids.
Some may even call this game bitter-sweet. Yes, losing in the Super Bowl is one of the worst feelings a fan can experience but looking back at the game and seeing Jalen Hurts perform the way he did is exciting.
Hurts’ Future Outlook
The future seems as bright as ever for Hurts and the Eagles. The Eagles are in the midst of extending Hurts’ contract which will most likely be a huge deal locking in the quarterback for the foreseeable future.
The Eagles offense will mostly stay intact with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith under contract for a couple more years. Some key pieces to the offense will potentially leave like Miles Sanders who didn’t perform too well in the Super Bowl and Jason Kelce to a potential retirement.
But the most important thing is that Jalen Hurts’ contract is extended and that the contract itself gives the front office some room to bring in more players.
Hurts will continue what he has already done in his career thus far and that is improve. If the Eagles quarterback gets even better the rest of the league better watch out.
Fly Eagles Fly!
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Categorized:Eagles