Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Hurts – Good and Bad

Posted July 24th, 2026 | No Comments »

We are getting closer to the start of Training Camp, which will be an interesting time for Jalen Hurts. He is a veteran QB, but will be learning a new offense. He’s had different coordinators throughout his career. This will be different, as this is a new scheme and a new OC.

There will be ups and downs this summer and into the fall. It can take QBs about half a season to really adjust to a new scheme so everyone needs to be patient with Hurts. It will be up to Sean Mannion to mix in what Hurts does well now with new ideas and plays. Throwing the deep ball should remain a strength.

We know one change will be more playing under center. This isn’t just done for optics. The numbers show that playing under center leads to more efficient passing. Check out the stats.

Hurts was under center some in 2025 so this isn’t completely new. He’ll just be doing more of it. Hopefully that will make the transition to the new offense a bit easier. I think the two biggest challenges will be working the middle of the field and spreading the ball around.

The addition of WR Makai Lemon should help Hurts over the middle. Lemon knows how to work the middle and is able to make plays. That’s his specialty and he knows it. This is a role he will embrace.

As for spreading the ball, part of that will be on the coaches to mix in different receivers and looks. I think it will help Hurts that he won’t have the pressure of feeling he’s got to get the ball to AJ Brown. Yes, you lose a great target, but spreading the ball can also put pressure on the defense since you should be less predictable.

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Hurts came in at #56 on the list of Top 100 players.

We can argue whether he’s underrated, overrated or that’s about right. I don’t see that ranking as a big deal so it is what it is as far as I’m concerned. There is an interesting dynamic when it comes to Hurts and Nick Sirianni. I had never thought about it in these terms.

Sirianni and Hurts can’t both be overrated, right? How would the Eagles keep winning? I’m sure some will say that both are being somewhat carried by the defense, but that group has had multiple coordinators and players in the Sirianni/Hurts era. At the least, Hurts is a big game QB. He’s started 10 playoff games for the Eagles. The team has scored 28 or more points in 7 of the games. Hurts has a passer rating of over 100 in 6 of the games (11 TD passes, 3 INTs). He averages almost 5 yards per carry and has 10 rushing TDs in those games. By comparison, Dak Prescott has 7 playoff starts. Dallas had three games of 28 or more points. He’s thrown 14 TDs and 7 INTs. Hurts seems to be at his best when the lights are brightest. That should be hugely important when judging QBs.

One area where Hurts needs to improve is outside the pocket.

One of his bad habits is bailing to the right and throwing the ball way out of bounds. That is fine on occasion, but Hurts does it too much. We know he can make plays outside the pocket. He’s got some big time highlight moments. There is a need for more consistency.

This is an important season for Hurts. He’s won a Super Bowl for the Eagles, but Howie Roseman can’t entirely focus on the past. He’s got to think about the future and how Hurts fits in that. If Jalen can adapt to the new scheme and coaches, he could sign an extension in the future and stay QB for the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see how this year plays out.

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Good stuff here from Doug.

It is always good to get some perspective from a national writer who covers all 32 teams and isn’t fixated on just the Eagles.

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