Jalen Hurts Expected To Be Philadelphia Eagles' Starting QB In 2022: 'He Knows He's Our Quarterback'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jalen Hurts has shown the Eagles enough to come back as their starter in 2022, at least that is what general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday.
Time will tell if Hurts comes back as the team's clear-cut No. 1 QB, or if Roseman brings in another quarterback to compete with the third-year signal-caller or even acquires an established star, but as it stands three days after the Birds' season ended in Tampa, the 23-year-old is in the team's plans for 2022.
"Jalen knows where he stands with us," Sirianni said. "He knows he's our quarterback. I thought he did a great job of getting better throughout the year, as we've talked about, and so there's no secrets here. He knows he's our guy."
When asked if he's comfortable with Hurts as the Birds' starting quarterback, Roseman said, "Yes."
"We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a first-year starter and second-year player and leading this team to the playoffs," Roseman said. "I'm tremendously impressed by his work ethic and his leadership. The last time we walked was during camp and we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horn, and he certainly did that."
Hurts' performance in Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers reopened the debate surrounding the Birds' quarterback position going forward.
The 23-year-old became the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game in Eagles history and looked like it. He finished 23 of 43 for 258 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He struggled against a Tampa defense that blitzed 46% of the time and was just 2 of 13 for 45 yards on passes longer than 10 yards.
Hurts was seen leaving Raymond James Stadium in a walking boot, acknowledging an injury that forced him to miss a game last month but said Sunday, "regardless of how I feel, I didn't play a good one."
Regardless of Sunday's performance, Hurts improved as the season went on. He finished with 3,166 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions and completed 61.3% of his passes. The QB also led the team with 784 rushing yards and 10 TDs.
With Hurts at QB, Sirianni adjusted his offseason mid-season and built the offense around what suits his quarterback. The Birds finished the season as the NFL's top rushing team, averaging 159.7 yards per game.
The Eagles enter the offseason with three first-round picks (Nos. 15, 16, and 19), which could allow them to pursue an established quarterback such as Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson if they're available.
But, both Roseman and Sirianni signaled Wednesday Hurts will be the starter in 2022. They didn't have a choice to maintain whatever leverage they have. Last year, Roseman compared Carson Wentz to having "fingers on your hands, you can't even imagine that they are not a part of you," and then traded him.
So, Hurts will enter the offseason as the Eagles' starting QB for 2022 and the front office and coaching staff appear ready to build around him. They'll have 10 draft picks and plenty of cap flexibility to do so.
"We have to do whatever we can to continue to help develop him," Roseman said. "How do we do that? By surrounding him with really good players, players who continue to grow."
