Jalen Hurts is still adjusting to life under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who was hired to help elevate the Eagles’ star quarterback to the next level.
So far, so good.
Hurts has received rave reviews in the first few days of training camp, having yet to throw an interception before Thursday’s open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. He has looked sharp, a promising indication that he is adapting well to Moore’s style.
This season, Hurts aims to consistently make sound decisions with the football, a challenge he faced during the tumultuous second half of the 2023 campaign.
While Hurts passed for career highs in yards (3,858) and touchdowns (23), last year was viewed largely as a big step back for the face of the franchise. Despite making his second Pro Bowl, Hurts threw 15 interceptions and had nine fumbles.
So much of what made Hurts an MVP candidate in 2022 seemed to vanish last fall, especially late in the year when the Eagles dropped six of their final seven decisions in the regular season.
“I think (there has been) execution towards those things, just the narrative of how we handled (last year’s collapse). Simply put, we just want to execute the fundamentals,” Hurts said Thursday. “I’m not going to go into the details of how we respond to those things, or how we provide answers for those things on the field. It’s just a matter of everyone being on the same page. I think we’ve gotten off to a good, sound start.”
Hurts, in addition to working with a new offensive coordinator and new starting center — Cam Jurgens, who will replace Jason Kelce — will have at his disposal an All-Pro running back in Saquon Barkley, who jumped ship from the rival Giants in free agency.
And, of course, Hurts has arguably the sport’s top wide receiver duo in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, both of whom signed long-term contract extensions in the offseason.
Despite an uber-talented offense in 2023, Hurts regressed under Brian Johnson, who lasted one season as offensive coordinator. Hurts wouldn’t specify what makes Moore’s offense an improvement over Johnson’s, but it’s evident in the early days of training camp that he is making strides.
“I’m not in a comparative mode here,” he said. “I do think that, you know, we go out there with the intention of putting our best foot forward and just executing and doing our jobs. And to do that obviously has to be clearly communicated on how to do it. We’re taking it day by day. I don’t put my focus towards anything else other than just trying to get better on that day. And I think the group has that mentality, you know? It’s never enough. At the end of the day, we just want to prepare ourselves to go out there and put on good performances.”
Hurts is not making any promises about how the offense will look when the Eagles kick off their preseason schedule next Friday night at Baltimore.
“I’m really trying to soak in these opportunities we have at practice, to learn and have these lengthy meetings at training camp, and have those good and needed conversations as we build it up,” he said. “The focus has been just for me to do my job and do it to the best of my abilities. Understand what I’m being asked to do, have conversations about that and go out there and do it.”
Five Eagles were recently named on the 14th annual NFL Top 100 list, all of them offensive players: Hurts (15), Brown (21), tackle Lane Johnson (41), Barkley (86) and Smith (90). There’s little doubt that the Eagles should be able to score a lot of points, making last year’s stagnant offense a distant memory as they start anew with Moore calling the shots.
One of the staples of Moore’s offense is pre-snap motion. The Eagles were last in the league by a wide margin in that category a year ago, rendering their offense predictable and stale. Rest assured that will not be the case this season.
“It’s just been a thing of constant communication, open dialogue and really just hearing each other out,” Hurts said. “The goal at hand is to find out how we can be the best team that we can be. I think we’ve been putting in great effort there. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re hungry to clean up the little things and to continue to work on the operation. We want to move urgently, be consistent and be on the same page. (Moore’s) been great with our communication, all around.”
Hurts will continue to be under constant scrutiny during camp, possibly more than ever since he was named the full-time starter in 2021.
“I’ve been really happy with how he’s been operating. He’s been in complete control of the offense,” Sirianni said Thursday. “He’s been operating at a really high level, from knowing where to go with the football to making accurate throws to moving in the pocket to buy extra time or if it turns into a run. He’s had an outstanding camp early in camp and I know he just wants to continue to improve. I’m really excited for him.”
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