Eagles Notebook: QB Jalen Hurts under microscope in new report
Plus: Stadium plans, linebacker move, joint practice with Patriots
From The Reporter: https://tinyurl.com/yc38a457
It was no April Fools’ joke.
Members of the Eagles have yet to respond to a bombshell report from ESPN’s Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler detailing last season’s dysfunction — specifically the team’s frustration with quarterback Jalen Hurts — that dropped April 1 as the annual league meetings were breaking up in Phoenix.
The exposé mirrored midseason reports by The Athletic and NFL broadcaster Derrick Gunn questioning Hurts’ coachability and willingness to follow the offense as designed, a pattern that bothered several teammates and was the source of receiver A.J. Brown’s exasperation.
General manager Howie Roseman, coach Nick Sirianni and owner Jeffrey Lurie had already spoken with the media in Arizona before ESPN released its article, but Lurie praised Hurts on March 31.
“There’s no bigger fan of Jalen than me,” Lurie said. “Clutch gene, absolutely. ... Exceptional and so dedicated. I mean, I think you probably know I spend a lot of time with Jalen, as I do with most quarterbacks. Incredibly dedicated to the game, to winning and being a huge winner. I love everything about him.”
Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP in 2024 and outplayed Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes two years earlier in a Super Bowl loss. His accomplishments are undeniable. But the team wants to see him evolve as a player. That includes operating from under center, where play action has been more effective, and incorporating more sophisticated concepts such as motion, shifts and pinpoint timing routes that reflect today’s incarnation of the West Coast offense.
The Eagles ran play-action passes just 15% of the time last year, which ranked 22nd in the league, despite having a threat like Saquon Barkley in the backfield. Hurts also reportedly changed many plays to simpler, predictable concepts — such as on a failed fourth down late in the wild-card loss to San Francisco — and often held the ball too long and avoided throws over the middle.
The ESPN report comes as the Eagles weigh a contract extension for the quarterback and a possible trade of Brown this offseason.
Part of the problem is that Hurts has had a different offensive coordinator every year. Even when he does develop rapport with a play-caller, that coach has been gone the following season, making continuity impossible. So Hurts himself has become frustrated, distrustful and resistant to new ideas.
But the Eagles don’t seem to see the contradiction in having a revolving door of OCs.
“As much as you’d like to have continuity and would like to have guys here for a long period of time, we want to win. We have an urgency to win right now. If that comes with the ramifications that we lose good people because they’ve earned head coaching jobs, we’ll live with that,” Roseman said at the end-of-season news conference in January.
Sirianni said Monday he has maintained offseason communication with Hurts but emphasized balance.
“You want guys to get away from football a little bit,” he said. “Recharge.”
The latest play-caller is Sean Mannion, a former quarterback who was Jordan Love’s QB coach in Green Bay. Hurts has reportedly expressed early buy-in behind the scenes.
Latest on a new stadium
Lurie confirmed the organization has begun exploring options for the franchise’s next stadium — a process that could eventually lead to a major overhaul of Lincoln Financial Field or an entirely new structure.
Nothing is imminent. But the conversation has started.
“We’re in the exploratory stage,” Lurie said. “We want to be very thoughtful about it.”
Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003 and remains under lease through 2032. Lurie praised the stadium and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex but acknowledged that the team must begin evaluating future options, as many NFL franchises are doing.
“It’s a wonderful stadium,” Lurie said. “But we have to think about the long-term future and what makes the most sense for the fans and for the city.”
The Eagles have been studying newer venues across the league and abroad, including modern multipurpose stadiums that can host events beyond football.
A domed facility is among the concepts under discussion. Such a move could help Philadelphia pursue mega-events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four.
Lurie said he hasn’t ruled out leaving South Philly.
“We’re looking at everything,” he said. “What’s the best experience for fans? What’s the best long-term home for the Eagles?”
The team has also surveyed season-ticket holders about stadium preferences as part of its research process.
“This is something you do carefully,” he said. “We’re at the very beginning.”
Depth move at linebacker
The Eagles added another piece to their offseason roster this week by signing linebacker Chandler Martin to a two-year deal.
Martin, 23, spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted out of Memphis. He appeared in three games, playing 34 special-teams snaps and recording five tackles.
His rookie season ended early when he tore his ACL in Week 13.
The Eagles view Martin as a developmental linebacker who could compete for depth and special-teams work once healthy. The two-year deal suggests the club is willing to give him time to recover and prove himself.
Philadelphia’s linebacker room is led by Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, with young reserves such as Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Smael Mondon and Chance Campbell also in the mix.
Notes
● Lurie reiterated that he remains deeply involved in the franchise despite giving his son Julian an expanded role in recent years.
“Maybe I still have a lot of gray hair,” Lurie said with a smile. “But I’m probably more involved than ever.”
● The owner said the team would be open to appearing in another international game — but only as the visiting team.
“We are not going to give up a home game,” Lurie said. “We just did that in Brazil.”
Philadelphia opened the 2024 season in São Paulo, sacrificing a home date as part of the NFL’s international expansion.
● Sirianni confirmed the Eagles are planning joint training-camp practices this summer with the New England Patriots. They will take place in Foxborough, Mass. Last August, the Eagles hosted practices with the Browns ahead of their preseason matchup at the Linc.
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.