2 Philadelphia Eagles land on list featuring exciting QB, WR combos

Jalen Hurts #2, Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Jalen Hurts #2, Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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It’s literally gotten to the point with this Philadelphia Eagles team that, as a fan, you can hang out with some friends and talk about nine or so different topics and do so for hours on end. Sure, that happens from time to time and really isn’t anything new for this Birds team, but think about everything that’s going on with this team for a second.

Philly has a new coaching staff. They have a gauntlet of a schedule (and don’t forget the NFL schedule is 17 games now). This is also the first season that they enter following a nightmarish and often difficult grind that was caused by COVID-19, but there are reasons for optimism as well, as one of NFL.com’s best writers detailed recently.

Philadelphia Eagles stars Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith get some shine.

Yes Birds fans, there’s some excitement in the air. Philly has a nice mix of young guys and veterans, a mix that may be the best they’ve had in a while. They’re expected to be led on offense by Jalen Hurts, who will be making his fifth NFL start when we reach Week 1 of the regular season.

His top target is expected to be DeVonta Smith. They’re being reunited for the first time since they were teammates at Alabama with the Crimson Tide in 2017.

Neither guy was as good as they are now, but when everything is taken into account, this could be a match made in Heaven. That’s one of the reasons that NFL.com Senior Analyst Gil Brandt names them as one of the ten quarterback and wide receiver combos that he sees as being the most exciting during the 2021-2022 season. Here’s what Brandt had to say on the subject.

"Jalen Hurts has to prove he can be a franchise quarterback this season, otherwise, the Eagles will move in a different direction in 2022… So I’m expecting to see Hurts lean a lot on DeVonta Smith’s playmaking ability. The tenth-overall pick adds instant juice to an Eagles pass-catching corps… After all, while Smith was catching 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy in 2020, the Eagles were failing to field a single player who could log more than 53 catches or 539 receiving yards. Oh, and though Hurts and Smith didn’t peak at Alabama at the same time, they did spend time on the field together, and that has to count for something…"

There isn’t a Philadelphia Eagles fan on Planet Earth that won’t like hearing that.

Hurts was Philly’s second-round draft selection in 2020, the 53rd player taken overall. He threw for 1,061 yards and six touchdowns on 77 completions as a rookie. He ran for another 354 yards on 63 totes, and he reached the end zone three times with his legs during the campaign.

Related Story. 3 Reasonable expectations for DeVonta Smith. light

He figures to be even more exciting in 2021, especially now that he’ll have a full offseason and the Birds have made a concerted effort to build around him to ensure his success. Put a smile on those faces Eagles fans. It might not be time to book any flight plans in February quite yet, but better days are definitely coming if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.