What Do the Eagles Have Planned for Jalen Hurts?

Philly coach Doug Pederson sees any number of possible uses as Hurts transitions to an NFL quarterback

John E. Hoover | May 2, 2020

So how do the Philadelphia Eagles plan to use Jalen Hurts?

“I have no idea what’s going to happen,” Hurts said last week when the Eagles picked him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, though that statement really could be attributed to almost anyone in Eagles HQ.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro offered up a handful of possible scenarios in which the Eagles could utilize Hurts’ substantial skillset.

One is as a multitool weapon like New Orleans has defined for backup quarterback Taysom Hill.

Another is a future Lamar Jackson, i.e., an heir apparent to starter Carson Wentz who understudies for a short period of time before taking the offense in a new direction.

Still another is coming up with even more frequent and more creative ways to have two QBs on the field at once.

And yet another is utilizing Hurts as “a straight running back,” per one unnamed Eagles source. “That’s how good we think he is.”

Hurts improved as a passer during his college career at Alabama, and last year he set an OU school record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. That's saying a lot considering the Sooners' triple-option tradition.

“He has a unique skillset and you see what Taysom Hill has done in New Orleans. And now he and Drew Brees have a connection there and a bond there,” Pederson said last week. “You look at with (Joe) Flacco and Lamar (Jackson) in Baltimore (in 2018) in the short period of time, how they gelled together. It’s just something we’re going to explore.

“I want to make a point here: First and foremost,” Pederson continued. “Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback. He was drafted as a quarterback and he was a quarterback first. But he has a unique skillset. He’s a great runner, obviously. He throws well on the run. He has a unique set of skills that we’re going to take a look at as well as we keep developing this offseason and this advancement as we get ready for training camp.”

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Published May 2, 2020

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.