Philadelphia Eagles: How does Jalen Hurts remain as QB1 going forward?

Okay, Philadelphia Eagles fans, this is the mother of all questions. What does quarterback Jalen Hurts have to do to earn his starting spot past this season? There are fans who have their doubts, but QB1 has a season-long audition to seize the role of being the Eagles franchise quarterback.

Ever since last season, we’ve seen some of the traits that make Hurts have curb appeal, but we all also saw the traits that left most of us in the ‘IDK’ column. To be honest, if you are still there, no worries. His pocket awareness, accuracy, and vision were leaving a lot to be desired at the close of last year, but fans also have to keep in context exactly what last season was—a wash.

However, it can’t be overlooked that his growth and progression continued through training camp. And, how solid was his game was against the Atlanta Falcons? A 77-percent completion rate is enough to keep doubters quiet for a while, or at least until the next game.

One fear that may come into a fan’s mind is the scheme and game plan that coach Nick Sirianni designed for Hurts, but what happens when that game plan goes out of the window? Can Hurts lead this team to victory?

Is he advanced enough to put the team on his back and carry them when needed? Is Hurts capable enough to lock in and be clutch when there are only 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter? When the Philadelphia Eagles are down by six and absolutely have to score, does he give them the best chance of success? These are the questions that everyone’s been asking.

Are the Philadelphia Eagles going to look to draft a QB after this season?

Some may go the statistical route and talk about Hurts’ completion percentage and his touchdown-to-interception ratio. Sure, those areas are also important, but they are not as important as the questions above.

We all have seen what happens to ‘system quarterbacks’. We have all watched those teams fail once their game plan has gone out the window.

As far as character, Jalen’s got it in abundance. Every fan saw that last year that the team was rapid to put their faith in him. His leadership and command of the offense are evident, all of the rookies gravitate to him, and the veterans respect him. This team will fight for Hurts when times get tough, which is a huge check to put in the plus column.

Speaking of checklists, there are a lot of boxes that need to be checked this season to see if the Eagles will put all of their eggs in the Hurts’ basket. If they don’t, they can choose to draft a quarterback in 2022. One major thing to keep in mind, either way, is regardless of what happens, it’s is a win for the organization. Why? Because they will officially have a blueprint for their future.