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Jalen Hurts is once again under the microscope. After a tumultuous season that saw the offense get criticized over and over again, their title defense season ended at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. While most fans blame now-fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo for their struggles, a sizable portion puts the blame on Hurts.
The crux of their arguments against Hurts boils down to one thing. Their argument is that the Eagles quarterback is unable to run complex schemes to save his life. Eagles legend and former teammate of Hurts Jason Kelce pushed back against this building narrative in a recent radio appearance.
“I don’t believe that the narrative out there that Jalen Hurts can’t do these things,” Kelce said, via SportsRadio 94 WIP. “I know that is one of them. I think that great coaches find ways to get guys to play. I’ve played with Jalen. I’ve seen him do a lot of really difficult things, and I’ve seen him grow as a player, and I think Jalen is a guy that responds really well to an authoritative figure pushing him.”
Hurts has shown the ability to run a complex scheme. Shane Steichen ran a motion-heavy scheme when he was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, and Hurts ran it perfectly in 2022. The same can be said for 2024, when Hurts piloted Kellen Moore’s system all the way to his first Super Bowl ring. While he does have limitations (no quarterback has no limitations, after all), Moore and Steichen were able to build offenses around his strengths.
The bigger concern for the Eagles is the lack of stability at the coaching position. Nick Sirianni has remained constant throughout Hurts’ career, but the QB has cycled through six offensive coordinators in his seven years in the league. That’s simply not a recipe for success in the modern NFL.
Hurts will have another chance to prove himself next season. Despite the individual stats, this was not a good season for the Eagles quarterback. Philly is reportedly looking for a “proven offensive mind” to lead the offense. We’ll see if their pick decides to stick around or if he’ll leave like the others.
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