Jalen Hurts raises new QB questions for Eagles with playoff flop vs. Buccaneers

Some would say Jalen Hurts’ first full season as the Eagles’ starting quarterback was a success, given they went 9-8 and made the NFC playoffs as a wild-card team. Some would also say Hurts did well as a young leader and deft runner, but he continues to raise major doubts about whether he is the long-term answer in Philadelphia.

Hurts was humbled by the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in his pro playoff debut Sunday. Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t let him and the Eagles’ offense out of the gate until late in the Bucs’ dominant 31-15 victory.

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Hurts was off with his throws (23-of-43 passing, 258 yards, one TD, two INTs, 6.0 yards per attempt, 60.0 rating) and contained as a runner (eight carries, 39 yards). He faced good pressure at times, but other times he was just inaccurate on intermediate and deep passes. He also carried over his inconsistent connection with the Eagles’ wide receivers from the regular season.

When the Eagles decided to trade Carson Wentz and make Hurts the first QB for offensive-minded rookie coach Nick Sirianni, they weren’t anointing a worthy successor. The move was more about having a free extended look at Hurts as a second-year second-round draft pick. It came with the bonus of employing a solid, cheap bridge quarterback.

Sirianni and his staff adjusted well. Philadelphia became the league’s most prolific rushing team, playing off Hurts’ top-flight skills as a runner to support a traditional committee of Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Jordan Howard and rookie Kenneth Gainwell. That game plan was facilitated by the Eagles’ defense preying on the lesser opponents on the team’s schedule so there could be a consistently positive game script.

The Eagles were not positioned well to win games with Hurts passing at a high volume to outduel the better QBs. Although he is a playmaker in one sense, he was treated like a caretaker.

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Did the Eagles see enough this season to push forward with Hurts? Are they hopeful of a big jump in Year 3? Or did enough of their concerns about Hurts surface in his most recent game to make them consider a change?

Truth is, Philadelphia already had an intriguing contingency for Hurts when they added former Jaguars starter Gardner MInshew, who came through in his one meaningful fill-in start, a Week 14 rout of the Jets. They should be thinking more about giving Hurts a real battle for the job.

The Eagles will pick No. 19 overall in the 2022 draft after their wild-card loss. They also have the Nos. 15 and 16 picks in the first round from trades with the Colts and Dolphins, respectively.

There are no surefire high-first-round QBs this April, but there are enough potential mid-first-rounders, so the Eagles can’t rule out using one of those three picks on the most intriguing QB for the system of Sirianni and Shane Steichen.

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Hurts took over in a tough spot. Even as a green, developing passer, he showed great maturity and pushed above his talented floor. But his ceiling feels lower now that he has provided an ample sample size.

The Eagles needed a stable presence post-Wentz, and Hurts came through in that capacity. The team also has the luxury of not having made a big investment in him yet, so it should want to expand its options.

From what Philadelphia saw in the most important game of Hurts’ young career, it cannot commit to him without first bringing in competition.