Philadelphia Eagles 2021 positional outlook: Quarterback

Is Jalen Hurts the next QB1 for the Philadelphia Eagles?

As February ends, free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft near. In what’s been an already busy offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles, there is still more to take care of. It’s time to go position by position and take a look at what the roster could and should look like at the start of the 2021 season. Let’s start with the quarterback position.

Following the Carson Wentz trade, Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback who we all believe will remain on the roster as of right now. Nate Sudfeld will most likely enter free agency as it seems unlikely that he will re-sign. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Birds brought him back for the preseason, but it sounds like they want to bring in new competition for Hurts.

As for Hurts, he certainly had his ups and downs in his four and a half games at quarterback in 2020. We’ve said time and time again that it is just too difficult to make a full and fair evaluation on him off of that sample size.

Hurts is not an MVP or bust yet. There is a lot to work to do to get him to where he needs to be, but fortunately, there’s also a lot to work with. He fits the new trend of mobile quarterbacks in the league today. Philly needs to give him the 2021 season to prove himself as we have harped on before.

For a rookie who had a mostly virtual offseason, he had a fairly impressive 2020 campaign. You can’t teach leadership, work ethic, and confidence. Hurts has all three. You can, however, teach better mechanics and better vision when reading the field and getting through a progression.

Hurts has plenty to fix – pocket presence, accuracy, velocity, etc. On the other hand, his mobility, poise, and decision-making are all things to be excited about. There were some bad decisions here and there but more often than not he knew when to not force unnecessary throws.

Who will the Philadelphia Eagles add to the quarterback room?

It would make a lot of sense for Philly to sign a veteran quarterback in free agency. Hurts would not only have someone to compete with for the job during training camp but also an experienced mentor. Tyrod Taylor is one of the best options. He has a similar playstyle to Hurts and is a fringe starter in the league. While he might not be a top-tier quarterback, he is certainly a serviceable one. As fans love to point out, he recently mentored two young quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert.

The Eagles will have options in free agency in addition to Tyrod Taylor. Journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick will be available. Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin III is set to hit the market. Jacoby Brissett could reunite with his former offensive coordinator and now Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.

If the Eagles miss out on some of the bigger name backups, they might look to bring in guys like Colt McCoy, A.J. McCarron, Brett Hundley, or Joshua Dobbs. Those wouldn’t be ideal options but the Birds just need some signal-callers who have been around the league for some time.

While we don’t believe drafting a quarterback in round one is the right way to go, that doesn’t mean the Birds shouldn’t draft a quarterback at all. The Philadelphia Eagles currently own eight draft picks in the upcoming selection meeting, and as Jimmy Kempski states, they’re expected to receive a compensatory sixth-round pick.

The consensus top four quarterbacks on most draft boards are Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance. After that, it isn’t a great class at the position. Mac Jones got away with some mechanical issues because of how wide-open DeVonta Smith and John Metchie were all year long. Not to mention, he had Najee Harris, a freight train, share the backfield with him. Jones didn’t have success by accident and deserves credit for what he accomplished, but the Eagles should let another team reach for him.

Kyle Trask is expected to go a bit too early for our liking. Then again, some of general manager Howie Roseman’s draft picks don’t make much sense. If Trask falls to Day 3, it might not be a bad idea to give him a shot as a developmental quarterback behind Hurts. Jamie Newman or Kellen Mond might also make sense on Day 3. Maybe the Birds give Ian Book an opportunity as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent as well.

At the end of the day, whoever is in the Eagles quarterback room will need a better team around them. This new coaching staff will help to fix some of the problems with this Eagles offense but Roseman needs to nail this offseason.

Hurts should be under center in Week 1 with a veteran and another developmental quarterback behind him. Fans should be excited about Hurts’ potential with Sirianni and Brian Johnson. If he doesn’t perform well, there are talented quarterbacks in the 2022 draft contrary to popular belief.