Eagles’ Jalen Hurts lands on Chris Simms’ QB list
Jalen Hurts actually cracked the top 10 on Chris Simms quarterback list and hes probably still too low.
A year after putting Hurts at No. 25 in his top 40 QB list and two years after leaving Hurts off it completely, the NBC Sports analyst has Hurts at No. 7 in 2023. Hurts is coming off an MVP runner-up campaign in his second full season as a starter.
Simms hasnt yet revealed the top four on his list but heres a look at what we know about the top 20:
20. Mac Jones
19. Kyler Murray
18. Derek Carr
17. Jared Goff
16. Ryan Tannehill
15. Geno Smith
14. Russell Wilson
13. Dak Prescott
12. Kirk Cousins
11. Daniel Jones
10. Matthew Stafford
9. Deshaun Watson
8. Aaron Rodgers
7. Jalen Hurts
6. Trevor Lawrence
5. Lamar Jackson
We dont yet know the order for the top four but its pretty clear itll be some combination of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert.
Simms has previously admitted fault for not having Hurts in his top 40 a couple years ago but you can still make a very, very strong case that hes still too low at No. 7 in 2023.
Listen, Im not a jerk, Simms said. I know Ive said things and Ive questioned him. I root for him. I hope hes yelling at me right there. I hope hes going, Yeah, eat that s, Simms. Im No. 7 now. I proved you wrong! Im all for that. I hope everybody knows that. I think when you start out with this guy right way, you just go, The ultimate gamer. The ultimate gamer. He really is. I think you could argue hes the best leader in the NFL right now. Right? Any position. Mahomes I think is right up there. Hes in that class to me, where hes gone to that kind of guy. Mahomes, even Joe Burrow. You ask me and I think I would be this group right there.
Hurts last season led the Eagles to a 14-1 record in the regular season. He completed 66.5% of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also ran for another 760 yards and 13 touchdowns.
And then on the biggest stage, Hurts was masterful in Super Bowl LVII. While he did have a costly fumble, Hurts threw for 304 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 70 yards and 3 more touchdowns.
While Simms praised Hurts for his decision-making, saying the Eagles QB seems to make the right decision on every play, he still doesnt think Hurts is a finished product as a passer.
Theres more meat on the bone, Simms said. Theres still a lot of throws when you watch him, you go he misses throws. Now, theyre so good, like we talked about with Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson and some of these other instances weve had, theyre so good that the next play they run for 15 up the middle or somebody else is open over the middle and he hits it and we forget about it. So theres a little bit more room for error there. And Im not saying it as a negative. Thats just the facts of the matter there. And, yeah, he took advantage of a lot of it. But, yes, there is another level here that he can go in that department.
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