Nick Sirianni Still Not Naming Jalen Hurts His Starter, but Does it Matter?

It's been obvious so far that Hurts is the starter, but the Deshaun Watson rumors won't go away, so the answer to that question is, yes, it matters

PHILADELPHIA – Nick Sirianni let another opportunity to name Jalen Hurts his starting quarterback slip away when the Eagles coach was asked about it prior to Thursday’s practice.

“There's just no rush there on having to do that,” he said. “Again, we just want him to continue to impress and show like he has and we're just not there yet.”

Maybe the better question is: does it matter?

It’s pretty obvious that Hurts is the starter.

He’s taken all the first-team reps. Joe Flacco and Nick Mullens haven’t sniffed a single one. It’s been pretty cut-and-dried when it comes to the roles as well. Flacco has taken second-team reps, Mullens third-team reps.

The other answer to that question is, yes it does matter, especially in light of the report from a CBSSPORTS writer Chris Trapasso saying claiming a source told him that talks between the Eagles and Texans to acquire Deshaun Watson are heating up.

Source: Talks are heating up between #Eagles and #Texans on a Deshaun Watson trade. Still some hurdles to get over. But both sides attempting to come to an agreement.

— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) August 5, 2021

“I'm not going to talk about the hypotheticals of something with rumors,” Sirianni said. “All I can tell you is that every decision that we make here is a group effort, right, and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie Roseman and his staff and myself, we're working together to get the best 53 out on the field every Sunday.”

Put in that light, it sounds like Hurts is treading on uncertain ground.

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So, yeah, it does matter if you’re head coach is willing to name you the starter as August goes along and the first preseason game is closing in on Aug. 12 when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit.

On Day 1 of camp, Sirianni and Roseman talked about how they want to see Hurts take the reins of the offense.

SI.com Eagle Maven asked Sirianni on Thursday if Hurts has done that.

The coach said that the offense is still being installed. He explained that there are eight installs and they are working through them, though the process is nearly complete.

“We'll have more of a feel for (Hurts taking the reins) as we continue,” said Sirianni. “I think he's doing a great job of understanding the offense and learning the offense and getting the reps of the offense, but now as we get in, this is our eighth install because we combine two, so that will come even more when we start to repeat plays even more as we come into this next week.”

Behind the scenes, Sirianni was asked if he talks to Hurts about the organization’s commitment to him as their potential starter, if maybe they try to put his mind at ease in knowing that there is at least some level of commitment to him.

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“We talk as a group of how do you get better every single day, and this is my conversation with Jalen, and this will be my conversation with all the players,” said the coach. “How do you get better every single day?

“…Distractions are different for everybody. They are different for everybody. Some are - and I won’t get into that. Everybody's distractions are different and everybody's going through something different. The message is clear with everybody: What are we doing to get better every day and what are we willing to eliminate from our life that is not allowing us to accomplish that goal?”

Right now, the Eagles don’t seem willing to let Hurts eliminate the distraction of whether or not he will be the actual starter in Atlanta on Sept. 12, though it does appear obvious that he will be.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.