Jalen Hurts Should Be The Least Of Eagles Fans Worries In 2024
Monday brought a lively discussion about the “expectations” we should have of Jalen Hurts as he enters the first year of his big money contract extension. Andrew was very bold in saying that he wants to see a lot more of the 2022 Hurts than the 2023 version.
On that we completely agreed. What we didn’t agree on was trepidation over what Jalen Hurts is going to bring to the table.
I told him that concern over the performance of Hurts wasn’t anywhere near the top of my list of potential worries. When asked to produce my list, here is what I came up with in no particular order.
Nick Sirianni
When the Head Coach is supposed to be an offensive guru I expect to see more of his expertise implemented. He had to give up play-calling just 7 games into his Eagles tenure.
Then last season when things hit the skids he refused to take the wheel and save the season. I’m doubting his leadership, not his ability to give a good pregame speech.
Mediocre Linebackers
The Eagles linebacker room reads like a Who’s Who of nobody knows what to expect.
Could Nakobe Dean finally stay healthy and be a starter? Does Devin White have any of his early Tampa Bay skill set left? Trotter Jr.? None of us have a clue what he could potentially provide in assistance. It’s a group that will need to surprise to help the Eagles reach their goals.
Shaky Pass Rush
Josh Sweat has never put together a season without at least a seven game sack less drought. Who is Bryce Huff? Can he be more than the part time player that Vic Fangio described? Brandon Graham is ready to hit the broadcast booth somewhere. Nolan Smith is the key as to whether this group has the potential to not see a huge drop off.
Replacing Jason Kelce
How is the offensive line going to perform without their veteran leader in the middle. We all want to think that they are one of the most talented groups in the NFL so they should be fine. Chemistry is important and will Cam Jurgens be ready to sustain the superior efforts of Kelce?
It’s a lot to ask, but the Eagles will need him to at least not be a net negative replacement.
Cornerbacks
As someone who enjoys being right, but dreads it at this point, the decision to re-sign Slay and Bradberry was disastrous. Bringing one of them back (Slay) would have been OK, but the Eagles refused to get on with getting younger in the secondary while coming off of a Super Bowl appearance.
That decision cost them and it may cost them even more in dead cap space if they release Bradberry on June 1st. There is a lot of unproven talent waiting to get their chance, but growing pains during the transition should be expected.
Dallas Goedert Is Key
Dallas Goedert could be entering his final season as an Eagle. He has been a solid performer but will never reach the level of impact that Zach Ertz brought to the organization. He certainly did not have as much opportunity as Ertz, but he needs to make a bigger splash.
Kellen Moore has helped many tight ends shine. This should be counted on if the Eagles want to be a Top 5 scoring offense.
So Stop Worrying About Jalen Hurts
If the 2024 Eagles fail to deliver, any one of these issues will most likely be a reason before Jalen Hurts, who has shown nice growth in his 4 seasons with the team.
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