Eagles’ Jalen Hurts improved after embracing ‘critical feedback’ from teammates during bye week

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts showed in the Eagles’ Week 8 victory over the Bengals that he can be one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
During the first four weeks of the season, Hurts led the NFL with eight turnovers and struggled to ignite the Eagles’ banged-up offense. Considering Hurts’ inconsistent play last season and his underwhelming performances in September, some people believed he wasn’t a good quarterback anymore.
In 2022, Hurts was considered elite because he finished second in the MVP vote and played well in the Eagles’ Super Bowl appearance.
When Hurts outplayed Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and helped Philadelphia’s offense score a season-high 37 points last Sunday, he took a step in the right direction toward becoming a top quarterback again.
“Jalen is a really, really good player,” Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra said. “When we’re clicking as an offense, we’re hard to stop. So yeah, he’s definitely an MVP-type player.”
After the Week 5 bye, the Eagles won three straight games.
During their three-game win streak, Hurts scored eight touchdowns and had no turnovers. Since Week 6, he has the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade (87.1) among NFL quarterbacks and ranks first in adjusted EPA/play.
Hurts, who was benched at Alabama and has been doubted throughout his career, overcame many flaws to become an NFL starter. Over the last three weeks, the 26-year-old has been more efficient and accurate from the pocket.
“He is growing,” Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson said. “Jalen is a guy who handles adversity really well with all the stuff that he’s been through during his career, all the odds stacked against him.
“He’s earned that right of being somebody that is very, very much so what you want out of a head guy, that number one guy. He’s very, very resilient. He doesn’t let things get to him. He’s very true to his nature and craft.”
Following the Eagles’ dreadful loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, Hurts took a lot of the blame and accepted criticism.
“He‘s been one of those guys who said, ‘Hey, sometimes it hasn’t been what it needed to be for me,’’’ Eagles backup offensive tackle Darian Kinnard said. “He came in and took accountability for that. … I saw an uptick in accountability after the bye week.
“During the off week, he was in here trying to get better. He was talking to other guys in the locker room and getting critical feedback from the offensive line and from the coaches. He came in with the mindset of, ‘I need to get better. I need to improve on certain things.’ He’s been doing that so far.’”
Hurts has taken on a bigger leadership role this season.
He had to step up because Jason Kelce, who was Philadelphia’s vocal leader for the last decade, retired during the offseason. Some analysts and rival coaches told NJ Advance Media before the season that the Eagles might struggle to overcome tough times without Kelce.
Entering the bye week, the Eagles lost two of their last three games. After each loss, Hurts stopped things from unraveling.
“During those days that we came to practice after those hard losses, we would have lunch or a dinner after practice was up,” Kinnard said. “(Jalen) would sit down and talk to the team. We picked his brain about his mindset and where his head was at.
“At the end of the day, being the quarterback, you’re going to be the one who drives the ship, especially on offense. He came in and let us know what his mindset was for the upcoming weeks and what we need to do as a team. That was a huge show of character.”
At the end of every practice, Hurts throws extra passes to his wide receivers and tight ends. Then, Hurts points out their mistakes to help them improve.
“Those types of things show up on Sunday’s,” Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson said. “That’s why we are able to make so many plays.”
Hurts motivates his teammates.
After the Eagles lost to the Falcons in Week 2, Nick Sirianni said he didn’t address his players because Hurts’ message was “spot on.”
“(Jalen) is a good dude,” Eagles veteran offensive lineman Nick Gates said. “He comes into work. He’s not super loud. But when he needs to talk, he talks. Everybody appreciates that.”
For the last two weeks, Johnson has started at left tackle in place of Jordan Mailata, who went on injured reserve prior to Week 7 with a hamstring injury. Johnson allowed one pressure to Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson on 13 snaps, the second-lowest pressure rate allowed against Hendrickson this year.
Before Johnson shut down one of the league’s best pass rushers last week, he had a conversation with Hurts that helped increase his confidence.
“Look at how he communicates with me,” Johnson said. “He’s trusted me since I first stepped up to the plate. His trust hasn’t wavered yet. He demands greatness and tells me, ‘You got to do your assignment and do it to the best of your abilities.’”
Hurts, who makes a team-high $51 million per year, has struggled with consistency the last two seasons.
During the bye week, Hurts had tough conversations with teammates and coaches to figure out their offensive issues. Now, he could lead the Eagles to their fourth straight win on Sunday against the 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It’s a huge thing, especially if it’s your quarterback,” said Kinnard about Hurts taking accountability. “It kind of just lets everybody know you can’t be too big. You’re not bigger than the team. If you want to win games, you gotta have that humility and see what you did wrong. Even in the victories, you got to see those times where you messed up.”
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Cayden Steele may be reached at [email protected]