Helping Hurts

Jalen Hurts showed us NFL talent in his four starts as a rookie. He also showed that he’s got plenty to work on. He was very hot and cold. When things were good, the offense was impressive. When things weren’t so good, he looked like a rookie who had no idea what he was doing.

In his defense, he played behind a makeshift offensive line. He didn’t have great skill players. Hurts is talented, but he’s not one of the rare QBs who can put a team on his shoulders and overcome mediocrity. As we saw in the Super Bowl, even a guy like Patrick Mahomes will struggle when he doesn’t have the right pieces around him.

The Eagles want to see what Hurts can do this year. One of the keys to the offseason was building around him so he would have a chance to succeed. The first order of business was the coaching change. Last year the offense was hampered by a group of coaches that were forced on each other and didn’t work great together.

This year Nick Sirianni, Shane Steichen and Brian Johnson will have a more cohesive relationship. Sirianni and Steichen are friends and have worked together in the past. Johnson is happy to enter the NFL and will have a clearly defined job.

Coaching will only get you so far though. One of the best sports lines is “The X’s and O’s aren’t as important as the Jimmys and Joes.” Talent wins. Coaching makes a huge difference, but talent wins. Did the Eagles help Hurts enough?

WR

The Eagles drafted DeVonta Smith 10th overall. That’s a serious investment. Smith will be the staring Z receiver and has a chance to make an immediate impact. He can be a workhorse who moves the chains, but also a playmaker. That’s part of what makes him special. Smith has great hands, is a terrific route-runner and is a very cerebral player. The Eagles haven’t had a wideout like that in a while.

Once the ball is in Smith’s hands, he can be a weapon. Sirianni has talked about how RAC yards are going to be a key to his offense. Smith should be a big help in that area. If Hurts can make a quick throw and Smith can then make something happen, that takes a lot of pressure off Hurts.

We don’t know where Jalen Reagor and Travis Fulgham will line up. Reagor would give you a speedy slot. Fulgham would give you a big slot. Sirianni said all three guys would move around, but they will at some point line up somewhere more than other spots. Reagor and Fulgham both showed excellent potential last year, but also showed warts. They need to be developed.

Sirianni is a former receiver and his teams have generally had good WR play. He and the staff will focus on that position and doing what they can to turn Smith, Reagor and Fulgham into a good trio.

Greg Ward is going to have a tough time making the team. His lack of speed/athleticism limits how effective he can be. Quez Watkins and John Hightower both showed big time speed as rookies, but each needs a lot of work. They could develop into good role players.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is hanging by a thread. Maybe the new coaches can turn his career around. But he’ll face competition from UDFA Trevon Grimes. I had a mid-round grade on Grimes, who is 6-4, 220 runs 4.5 and has a 35-inch vertical. Grimes could be the big receiver the Eagles are looking for. He will push JJAW. One of them will have to earn a roster spot.

TE

We don’t know what is going on here. Dallas Goedert is going to be the starter. Zach Ertz is almost certainly going to be traded. The Eagles could consider bringing him back, but Ertz wasn’t happy last year and I struggle to envision that changing.

The Eagles don’t have a proven backup in place. Maybe they are waiting to bring back Richard Rodgers. He’s been a good backup in recent years. There are several developmental guys. Maybe the new coaches want to work with them.

UDFA Jack Stoll is the only new face for now. He’s 6-3, 247 and is a pretty good athlete.

RB

The Eagles have their #1 guy in Miles Sanders. He is an explosive playmaker. He gives the offense a big play threat every time he touches the ball.

The team brought back Jordan Howard. We’ll have to see what that means. Howard was terrific in the first half of 2019. He got hurt and then went to Miami in the offseason. Howard struggled last year and got released. The Eagles felt like he was worth bringing back, as they didn’t have another big back on the roster.

Kenny Gainwell was one of the best value picks in the draft and gives the team another playmaker. He can line up all over the place. Gainwell is a gifted runner and reciever and will give the coaches another weapon to work with.

Boston Scott proved to be a valuable role player in 2019. In 2020, he proved he’s not meant to be the primary backup. Scott can still be a good role player, but you need other guys around him. He’ll compete for a roster spot and a role, but won’t be guaranteed either.

OL

Just getting this bunch healthy makes a world of difference. Jordan Mailata – Isaac Seumalo – Jason Kelce – Brandon Brooks – Lane Johnson is one of the better starting units in the league. That group can dominate in the run game and give Hurts time to throw in the passing game.

Nate Herbig and Jack Driscoll were important backups last year. Both will have that experience under their belt and they should be even better this season. Andre Dillard got hurt before he could play last year. He will compete for the LT spot, but Mailata should win that battle based on how he played last year. We’ll see if Dillard has more of an edge now or if he just doesn’t have the right mentality for the NFL.

Landon Dickerson will be healthy before the season starts. He will be a backup at G and C. The Eagles will be in better shape to handle injuries, but hopefully they won’t go through anything like last year’s unprecendented gauntlet of despair.

*****

Hurts will have a more unified coaching staff.

He’s got better weapons.

The OL should give him better protection.

No one will confuse this team with the ’99 Rams, but I think Hurts will have enough pieces around him and a good enough OL that he and the offense can take a big step forward. Will that be enough for Hurts to convince the team he’s the QB of the future? That is the million-dollar question.

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