TAMPA – We’re asking the wrong question when it comes to Jalen Hurts’ status as the Eagles’ quarterback in 2022.
Check that. We’re asking the wrong people.
That’s because Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hasn’t given his final assessment yet. He’s expected to answer that and other questions from the media later this week.
But really, what else can he say? He saw what you saw in the Eagles’ 31-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
So we can pore over every game and say, well, Hurts certainly showed he can be the guy after leading the Eagles to the playoffs with three straight wins in December – on a gimpy ankle, no less.
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Just like we can look at Hurts’ performance Sunday and say he shouldn’t be. Hurts, after all, threw two interceptions, completed just 23 of 43 passes for 258 yards, and couldn’t bring the Eagles back once they were forced to throw.
But that’s not the right question either.
Sure, you can expect Roseman to look into trading for a big-name QB like Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson.
And he’ll probably show up at the Pro Day of one of the top QBs in the draft.
That’s just Roseman doing his due diligence.
But listen to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who gave an passionate response as to whether Hurts solidified his future as the starter.
“I know we’re all judged on the last game that we play,” Sirianni said. “I understand that. I felt like Jalen grew throughout the year. He got better as a passer, reading the defenses, getting the ball to the right place. He developed so much in his ability to extend plays …
“I feel really good with what we have in place right here with the quarterback position. I thought he had a great year, and he came a long way.”
All of that is true. The Eagles’ success running the ball this season, leading the NFL by averaging 159.7 yards per game, had a lot to do with Hurts improving as a passer.
But we saw Sunday what happens when the Eagles fall behind 17-0 like they did Sunday, and then have no choice but to throw.
Hurts had a chance to bring the Eagles back just before the half, and he threw an interception trying for DeVonta Smith in the end zone.
That was a killer.
So was this. The Eagles trailed 24-0 when Hurts threw his second interception. The Buccaneers took over at the Eagles’ 36. On the first play, Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans.
It was 31-0 with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
Yes, Hurts kept throwing and the Eagles scored two touchdowns late. There’s something to be said for that.
As Dallas Goedert put it: “Shoot, having him back there, you never feel like you’re out of the game.”
Hurts’ teammates have seen that all season, not only in games the Eagles were losing in, but in Hurts’ process of working to improve all season long.
“Everything you want in a player,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “The will to win, the accountability he takes. I see it. He sat here and was honest with you guys about the areas he needs to be better at. I want to follow that dude. I know that dude wants to win.
“I know that dude wants to fix his mistakes. It’s all I ask. It’s all they ask of us. When I see my captain doing that, when I see my QB doing that, I want to do the same thing. That’s the culture we’re trying to build around here.”
Should that factor in the decision into whether Hurts deserves to return as the starter?
Of course it should. But that’s the wrong question, too.
This is the right question: Why will Hurts be back as the starter in 2022?
Hurts will be back because he has to be back. The Eagles have so many needs everywhere else that they can’t waste the capital from their three first-round draft picks on either trading for a quarterback or drafting one.
The Eagles have two dependable receivers in Goedert and rookie DeVonta Smith. That’s it. They combined for 10 catches for 152 yards Sunday, but Smith wasn’t a factor until the game was out of reach.
And when the Bucs focused on taking away Smith, the Eagles got little from Jalen Reagor (1 catch, 2 yards) and Quez Watkins (2 for 35 yards). That has been the case all season, and that has to change with a major upgrade.
On defense, the Eagles need help at defensive end. They have neglected linebacker for too long. And of the top five defensive backs, only Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox are signed beyond this season.
That was a reality that veteran safety Rodney McLeod acknowledged. He’s 31 years old, recovered from two ACL surgeries in the last three years.
“My future here is unknown,” McLeod said. “This isn’t how I wanted it to end, if this is the last time for me.”
If the Eagles improve the team around Hurts, and they still can’t get beyond this point next season, then everyone will have their answer.
But you can rest assured about this, too. From what we saw from Hurts this season, he will do everything he can to make sure he is the answer.
Hurts proved that much, no matter how it ended.
“I think, for us as a football team, this game does not define us,” Hurts said. “It does not define us at all. We know all the different things we’ve overcome. We know the environment that we built as a football team.
“I know as a football team, we’ll be back. This is a feeling we’ll kind of simmer in our hearts … I know the hunger that we have. I know the feeling we have in that locker room.”
So now that we have the right question, it will soon be up to Hurts to provide the right answer.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
