In April 2020, the Eagles drafted Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurt and fans immediately began to spread rumors about a potential QB controversy. Why do they need another QB? Have they lost faith in Carson Wentz? Well... no, they haven’t.
I think Hurts is there to fill a role that isn’t necessarily there. Sure, Wentz can throw on the run and get much-needed yards if necessary. Hurts can do all of that too, and that’s one of the reasons why the Eagles wanted to draft him. It was a much better option than signing another veteran free agent (Josh McCown, Joe Flacco, etc.). He’s also got something that those vets do not have... speed. Hurts is quite the athlete and could find his way on the field in different ways.
When training camp began, people were wondering how he would end up performing with the offense. We are only a couple of days in, but he has been exceeding expectations all around. The team is reportedly "blown away" by how he carries himself on the field. Hurts has been getting a lot of reps at third-string but also getting more opportunities then Sudfeld during second-string reps. He’s been able to remain calm in the pocket, quick when he’s made the decision to run, an effective long ball throw, and has also looked pretty impressive with his speed during red zone drills.
Doug Pederson had come out in May and said that he was not expecting Hurts to be at QB2 but from how he’s been performing so far at training camp, he may end up competing for that position. With only three career starts under his belt, Nate Sudfeld will actually have to battle to be the number two behind Wentz.
Hurts led all players in college football with 17 redzone touchdowns last year (ALL players not just quarterbacks). He’ll be a much-needed weapon on RPO’s with or without Wentz on the field. There is definitely not a competition for starter, but if Hurts continues to shine at training camp, he may give Sudfeld a run for his money and we could see him on the field a couple of times each Sunday this fall.
