Philadelphia Eagles: Is Jalen Hurts Already Being Disrespected By NFL?

Ever since Mac Jones was named the starter of the New England Patriots, the whirlwind of coverage starter. Is he the guy to replace Tom Brady? Last year, Tua Tagovailoa got the same type of coverage in prep to take over the Miami Dolphins. Will he finally bring the organization a franchise quarterback they haven’t seen since the days of Dan Marino? Now with the two taking over their respective teams and kicking off Week 1 with the first NFL matchup, the coverage hype train is rolling. The one former Alabama quarterback being left out of all this talk is Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Without even getting a full season to start, it’s as if he’s being written off already as a potential leader and starting quarterback. Hurts deserves just as much praise and recognition as the other two and had he stayed at Alabama, maybe his name would be in the mix, but Hurts is no slouch. People are already forgetting he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He’s got a skill set that fits the current landscape in today’s NFL. However, he faded to the background as the backup quarterback last year. His rookie season was overshadowed by a desperate coach, Doug Pederson, frantically trying to save his job and his decisions weren’t in the best interest of the team.

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Pederson was eventually fired and Carson Wentz was sat down in favor of the rookie. Hurts immediately came in and gave the team a spark, but you could tell it was a delicate situation that was a “too little too late” kind of thing. The offense last year was set up and run for Wentz and Pederson to have success. Once the Eagles switched to Wentz it was watered down to the basics to fit his skill set. There was no way he was going to come in and save their season and should not be judged based on that alone.

Then there’s this offseason where the Eagles have set him up to succeed but he’ll need to block out distractions again. Not only has the team been turned over to him and he’ll have to make the adjustments to be the leader, he’s also gotta block out the rumors as well. Despite the Miami Dolphins been the talk of trades for Deshaun Watson, the Eagles are constantly mentioned as well. Yes, getting a talent like Watson would be incredible for most teams, but until it happens Hurts needs to come out and show he’s the guy in case it doesn’t happen.

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Now when you have a future Hall of Fame coach coaching you as the New England Patriots do, a player like Mac Jones will get a ton of attention. It’s the same thing with a coach like Brian Flores who has shown that sticking to the process could lead to the success of Tua Tagovailoa. Naturally, a team like the Eagles would fade into the background but I wouldn’t sleep on Hurts.

A lot of praise goes to Alabama quarterbacks as the team is built for success with talent and legendary coach Nick Saban. But Jalen Hurts did transfer and was still in the Heisman talks. Of course, you could argue that Oaklahoma was set up for success too but not quite on the level as Alabama who is always in the running for championships. Hurts might have a new coach, new skill players, and an uphill battle but if teams don’t prepare for him the same as Tua or Mac it’s going to be a rough go against the Eagles. He might have an uphill battle, but don’t sleep on the young QB just yet.