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Imago

Jalen Hurts won the Super Bowl only two years ago in sensational form, and now, he has become a big red flag for some in Philly media. After a bad performance in the joint practice with the New England Patriots, Hurts needs to do way better to keep his job in Philadelphia.

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“I’m not gonna hot take the Eagles and say they collapse,” Adam Schein said on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “I’ve way too much respect for the talent, way too much respect for the coaching, way too much respect for Howie Roseman. I think the defense should be excellent. I think Saquon Barkley will get back to being Saquon Barkley. [Offensive] line doesn’t have their legendary coach. But they’re healthy right now. … I don’t think they win the NFC East, I don’t think they’re better than Dallas. And I think Jalen Hurts is playing for his job in Philly.” 

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Concerns took center stage during the joint training camp practices against the New England Patriots. Hurts struggled with his passes and threw five interceptions, throwing three in one day. It was proof that Philadelphia was still searching for an offensive rhythm, after already turning up short last season. Last year, he recorded an accuracy of only 64.8% on his passes. He’s also lost a top target in A.J. Brown, who had already given up hope in the Eagles’ offense last season.

Adding to the uncertainty is the installation of Sean Mannion as the team’s offensive play-caller. Of course, he brings a fresh perspective to the coaching staff. But he has zero previous play-calling experience. Building a brand-new quarterback-to-play-caller rapport naturally requires time and trial and error. And the process will likely be a pain for Hurts, who is expected to go back to his 2024 self after a wildly disappointing last season. Mannion is also the fourth offensive coordinator Hurts will play under in the last four seasons.

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Nevertheless, general manager Howie Roseman has kept the roster stacked. Hurts can certainly use running back Saquon Barkley. But if he cannot adapt to the new staff, things can get messy around his job security in Philadelphia. Here’s what ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote for his worst-case prediction for the Eagles:

“It all falls apart. [Sean] Mannion isn’t up to the task, Hurts doesn’t take to the new offense, and the O-line feels the effects of the departure of longtime Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland. … The Eagles miss the playoffs despite their excellent defense. They change offensive coordinators again and decide to move on from Hurts via trade, the way they did with Wentz in 2021.”

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There is one upside to look forward to in Hurts, though. The quarterback has been phenomenal in the rushing attack, having shed some weight before coming to camp. Mannion has been working on Hurts’ rushing abilities, a factor that was missing from his play last year.

Will Jalen Hurts prove his skeptics wrong this year? We will have to wait and watch.

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Written by

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Krushna Prasad Pattnaik

3,458 Articles

Krushna Pattnaik is an NFL Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the league across news, roster moves, and team developments. With a medical background, he brings particular depth to stories around player injuries, medical suspensions, and health-related developments. As a Senior Writer, he honed his editorial skills through the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program. Before moving to the NFL beat, Krushna spent three years at EssentiallySports covering MMA and Olympic sports, working across prediction pieces, live event assignments, and beat reports. With five years of personal training in Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, and taekwondo, he brought a practitioner's perspective to his fight coverage. He also briefly contributed to the ES YouTube team. His work earned external recognition, including a nod from Conor McGregor, and one of his pieces was featured on Brendan Schaub's podcast.

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Afreen Kabir

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