Crossing Broad
The Philadelphia Eagles failed to reach their sky-high Super Bowl expectations in 2025, and an offseason full of introspective analysis is already underway.
As is the case in the sport of football, conversation must start with the level of quarterback play, and Jalen Hurts is no exception to this, as the microscope is placed over the 27-year-old after the dismissal of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Hurts’ sixth NFL season was his fifth as a starting quarterback. He completed 64.8% of his pass attempts for 3,224 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions, while adding 421 rushing yards on the ground. The offense just never reached full potential, extending well beyond the quarterback play.
But one topic that must be brought up to project forward into next year is Hurts running the ball. The 2025 Super Bowl MVP is a better passer than he is sometimes given credit for, and there are matchups when he can have success using only his arm. However, it is undeniable that a major part of the package that makes him special as a football player is his dual-threat ability. This has become increasingly necessary in the modern NFL, and the Texas native has more than just looked the part over his time in the league.
Excluding his rookie season, in which Hurts started just four games, he posted career-low rushing marks across the board this season.
Jalen rushed the ball 105 times, or 6.6 attempts per game. Starting in the 2021 season, he tallied 139, 165, 157, 150, and 105 rushing attempts, good for 9.3, 11.0, 9.2, 10.0, and 6.6 rushing attempts per game.
Looking at the yardage, Hurts tallied 784, 760, 605, 630, and 421 total yards during that five-year window, which averaged out to 52, 51, 36, 42, and 26 rushing yards per game.
Where he has been especially dynamic has been around the goal line. The addition of Saquon Barkley changed the rushing equation to an extent, but Hurts has served as the de facto goal-line back even before the inception of the tush push, with empty set QB runs and RPO featuring earlier in his career. With his 6-foot-1 and 223-pound frame, Hurts has 63 rushing touchdowns across his 93 games, in addition to 10 rushing touchdowns in his 10 postseason games.
Starting in 2021, he tallied 10 rushing touchdowns. Hurts then had 13 rushing scores in 2022, 15 in 2023, 14 in 2024, and just eight this season. He finished tied for second in the NFL in rushing scores in 2022 and 2023, as well as fifth in 2024. This season, though, he was tied for 15th in the league.
The why for this decrease in rushing production is more difficult to answer. There have been plenty of whispers and reports of Hurts’ not wanting to lean on his legs as frequently. Availability matters, and Hurts puts himself at risk in these types of plays, such as the...
