Eagles Today

NFL QB Rankings: Where Does Eagles' Jalen Hurts Fit?

Is this a fair ranking for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

Tim Kelly

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We've seen Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts rise exponentially on a series of external quarterback rankings, including CBS Sports, Pro Football Focus and Chris Simms' NBC countdown. 

This week, we published our SI/FanNation rankings of the 32 starting quarterbacks ahead of the 2023 season, and like on the other lists, Hurts saw a dramatic jump. Last year's NFL MVP runner-up checked in at No. 5 on our countdown: 

The growth that Hurts has shown in three NFL seasons is hard to fathom. He's dramatically improved as a passer, without sacrificing his elite decision-making. He's also run for 750+ yards and at least 10 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.

Former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was rightfully given quite a bit of credit in helping to develop Hurts, which is why he's now the head coach in Indianapolis. But that goes both ways, and the skillset of Hurts may mean that Steichen's successor -- former quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson -- is soon a head coach himself.

The four quarterbacks who came in above Hurts were Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. While some make take issue with Hurts being below Herbert -- who has had less team success -- we would suggest your focus should be on the fact that the former second-round pick is now above former NFL MVPs Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers, which would have been a piping hot take a year ago. 

In terms of the NFC East, Hurts' ranking at No. 5 was the top mark among quarterbacks. Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys checked in at No. 9, Daniel Jones of the New York Giants came in at No. 15 and Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders was dead-last at No. 32. 

You can read the full countdown -- which includes in-depth analysis on all 32 projected starting quarterbacks -- here. 

You can follow Tim Kelly @TimKellySports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science. 

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