Eagles Offense Being Under Construction Yet Again Nothing New For Jalen Hurts

Having another offensive coordinator and quarterback is nothing new for quarterback Jalen Hurts, but so far it's been a slow start during OTAs.

May 30, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks on during practice at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – The offense is under construction, which was apparent in the two open OTAs the Eagles held in May. The lifting gets heavier now for new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and his staff with the start of a three-day mandatory veteran minicamp on Tuesday.

And with every new offense, the lifting begins and ends with the quarterback and in the case of the Eagles, that means Jalen Hurts. Now in his fifth season, Hurts will begin his fourth year as the team’s starting quarterback, and he will do so with yet another OC and QB coach.

Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier have been cast in those roles and they have arrived as outsiders from other organizations. This isn’t just about learning a new scheme and concepts, but it is presumably an integration of a pair of offenses – a little of Nick Sirianni and a lot of Moore.

“It’s growth, it’s growth for all of us,” said Nussmeier on Monday. “Obviously, Kellen coming here and the existing coaches here and the offense that was in place and some of the things that what we’ve done in the past, so just like you do every year, you go back and you look at hey, what did you do well, what did you not do well, what do you want to keep, what do you want to grow?

“There are some new concepts maybe that are showing up across the league that, hey, they fit our personnel well. Every day has been growth. It’s all new. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and when we open the season.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier meets with the media on June 4, 2024. / Ed Kracz

The results so far haven’t been pretty, and really, this should have been expected.

Hurts threw a pair of picks in the second OTA, including a pick-six to Isaiah Rodgers, and could’ve thrown three interceptions if Kelee Ringo had been able to hold on to a deep throw that was underthrown.

There’s nothing to be alarmed about because, like Nussmeier said, there’s a long way to go until Brazil, though, and Hurts will eventually get this offense down. He always does.

“Give him a lot of credit, to have the success that he’s had early in his career playing in different systems with different coaches, that’s not easy to do,” said the QB coach.

“So, I think me going in new trying to learn Jalen, what he knows, how he’s been taught, I think that’s a big part. It’s a collaborative thing here. It’s like anything else, I think you make mistake if you say this is exactly how it’s done. You have to learn some of the background so we can grow forward. That’s kind of what we’ve been focusing on since I’ve gotten here.”

Hurts had different OCs and QB coaches dating all the way back to his days at the University of Alabama and at the University of Oklahoma.

In the NFL, he had Doug Pederson and Press Taylor in his rookie season of 2020. In 2021 and 2022, he had the consistent approach of Sirianni and Shane Steichen, and in year two of that collaboration, the Eagles went to the Super Bowl and Hurts was the league’s MVP runner-up.

Last year, Brian Johnson was elevated from QB coach to OC and Alex Tanney promoted to QB coach, and the connection, after a 10-1 start, fizzled and both are now gone.

Now it’s Moore and Nussmeier’s turn, and it’s going to take time to get everything buttoned down to the point that an offense expected to be high-powered with weapons all over the place can reach that potential.

Hurts hasn’t been around them on the field for very long, and vice versa Moore and Nussmeier, but once things begin to ramp up on a daily basis when training open at the end of July, the offense should progressively grow. Especially with Hurts at the helm of yet another new offense.

“I think the one thing that’s impressed me, and I had heard this before, but extremely hard worker, very diligent in how he prepares,” said Nussmeier about Hurts. “It’s important for him to understand the details of everything we’re doing. He’s going to ask all the right questions. It’s really ben a fun process to date.”

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