It seems as if the Eagles can’t help but stay relevant even when there’s no need to report. As of late, much has been made about the things that Jalen Hurts can’t do or the things that he is doing wrong. It’s interesting to see the type of snakes that tend to show when the grass is finally cut.
Hurts has been under the microscope ever since his lack of support towards Nick Sirianni in a question that asked about the head coach’s involvement in the team’s new offense. Could he have approached it better? Absolutely. We all know that everything Jalen Hurts says or does has a reason behind it at this point.
While his leadership hasn’t been publicly questioned by anyone within the locker room, that has been another topic of conversation from the outskirts of the Eagles lawn. It can’t stop there though. Somehow, there has to be a reason to provoke the Eagles QB by continuously involving his name in any debate possible. Recently, it seems as if the comparison between Hurts and Prescott has now become a trend.
Cam Newton and James Jones have publicly stated that they would choose Prescott over Hurts any day of the week. With understandable reasons, the debate has no true merit. One QB has been in the league for 8 years and is coming off of one of his best seasons while the other has been in the league for only 4 years and is coming off a “down” season that was plagued by turnovers and a lack of offensive creativity.
But is this how Jalen Hurts should be measured? By pinning him against a division rival who has never taken his team to the Super Bowl although Hurts led his team to the Super Bowl on a damaged shoulder? This isn’t to shade what Dak has done but you have to call a spade a spade at some point.
Who should Jalen Hurts be compared to?
Instead, Jalen Hurts should be compared to the peers that he’s going to grow with as veterans like Dak Prescott ride into the sunset. When speaking of Jalen Hurts, you should mention the names of Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Tua Tagovailoa, and even Daniel Jones.
While Jordan Love can’t be completely thrown into the conversation just yet, he will be within two years. Love needs more than just one season under his belt before he’s mentioned with the group above but his talent can’t go unnoticed. I have no doubt that Love will be one of the better QBs in this group in years to come.
Each of the remaining players has played over 50 games in their careers so far but only three have played in 60 or more and that’s Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert. Injuries have plagued both Jones and Burrow while the Dolphins have played with their lack of confidence in Tua at times. Trevor Lawrence is the only one who has only played in three seasons so far.
Of this group of quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts has the best career record so far. This even included the COVID season when he took over for Carson Wentz. Hurts has gone 34-17 so far in his young career with one Super Bowl appearance. The rest have the following records:
- Tua Tagovailoa 32-19
- Justin Herbert 30-32
- Daniel Jones 22-36-1
- Joe Burrow 29-22-1
- Trevor Lawrence 20-30
They have all had to go through different growing pains in their careers so far. Five of the six mentioned have all experienced coaching changes and several new coordinators in their young careers. Hurts has now had three different coordinators so far but has weathered the storm as best as he can.
Even with a “down” season in 2023, Jalen Hurts has the fewest interceptions thrown within this group of quarterbacks. He also leads them in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Hurts has 42 rushing touchdowns and the next closest QB has 13. Hurts has the second fewest passing yards(11,764) but it’s a small margin between him and the player with the second most(14,083). Justin Herbert leads the group with an impressive 17,223 passing yards.
The Eagles QB currently has 67 passing yards so far which would put him at the fourth highest in the group. Herbert has 118, Burrow has 97, and Tua has 81. But if you factor in Jalen’s rushing touchdowns then he has the second-most touchdowns scored within this group of QBs.
While the national media continues their hate parade against the Eagles QB. Eagles fans should feel more than content with who is leading their team. You have seen Jalen grow before your own eyes. From a decoy quarterback to the player with the most impressive offensive performance in Super Bowl history. In four years with the Eagles, Jalen Hurts has accomplished unthinkable feats and it’s safe to say that he and the Eagles budding offense are just getting started.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
