NFL Insider believes Eagles public backing of Jalen Hurts isn’t ‘lip service’

All season long, we were all over Jalen Hurts, and yes, we mean every single one of us. Don’t you dare act like you weren’t occasionally arguing with your buddies or co-workers for one reason or another about this guy. You absolutely were! How could you have avoided doing so?

Before the Philadelphia Eagles‘ season began, we went back and forth about that 52-percent completion percentage and that 1-3 win-loss record as a starter that Hurts posted as a rookie. The 2021-2022 Philadelphia Eagles season was deemed an 18-week, 17-game audition. The fireworks came immediately.

There were highs. There were lows. We saw big throws and bad ones. We critiqued every single one of them.

We celebrated him for leading a team that was expected to win four or five games to a nine-win campaign and a post-game appearance. Then, he was shredded when the Birds flopped in the Wild Card Game (and Hurts had a bad showing at a bad time).

Since then, Hurts has gotten public support from everyone from former Eagles signal-caller Donovan McNabb to someone we all respect, NFL legend/Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy. That was all fine and dandy, but what we really cared about was what his team thought.

NFL Insider believes the Eagles when they say they’re 100% behind Jalen Hurts.

We’ve heard head coach Nick Sirianni back his QB1 publicly when asked about him (once he was done with avoiding the questions about whether or not he’d start him at the beginning of the season of course). There were still rumors that the leadership was split in their assessment.

Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn’t, but in their season-ending press conference, Sirianni and vice president/general manager Howie Roseman doubled down in their support for Number 1. Don’t take our word for it. Check out what Howie said for yourselves.

"We talk about Jalen and the growth he had. (He’s) really (a) first-year starter, second-year player, leading this team to the playoffs. (I’m) tremendously impressed with his work ethic, his leadership. The last time we talked was during camp and we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horns and he certainly did that."

When asked if Jalen Hurts had done enough to be the Eagles starter in 2022, Roseman pulled no punches. His answer? “Yes”.

Now, even with that being said, you can understand why someone would be skeptical. It isn’t like the Eagles don’t have a history of telling us something and doing something else. One NFL Insider, the Boston Globe‘s Ben Violin believes Philly’s backing of Jalen Hurts wasn’t ‘lip service’. You need to buy the subscription to read the full story, but here’s part of his theory.

"Though he is raw as a passer, he displayed impressive athleticism, toughness, and leadership. Considering he’s making close to the league minimum, it makes a lot more sense to give Hurts another year and use those draft picks on quality non-quarterbacks."

It does make sense if you think about it. Jalen Hurts isn’t making top dollar. There’s no guarantee that guys like Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, or Matt Corrall are better. Why not give Hurts the appropriate amount of time to develop? Russell Wilson and Josh Allen didn’t pop off of the screen immediately. It takes time folks.

Here’s the long and the short of everything. It’s the end of January. Much can change between now and April. Howie and Nick have backed Hurts, as they should have, but again, we’ve seen this team tell us one thing and do something else before. Expect the unexpected as we move towards free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft.