By admin 
Was Jalen Hurts a top-10 NFL quarterback last year for the Philadelphia Eagles?
No.
Does that mean Hurts is destined to remain in mediocrity for 2026?
Also, no.
For all of Hurts’ perceived struggles last year, he still registered a 98.5 passer rating, threw for a career-high 25 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career. He also led the Eagles to an NFC East divisional crown for the second straight year. All in all, that is a pretty good year for a down year.
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Why the Eagles have reason for optimism
There are reasons for optimism in the city of Brotherly Love. Bellyaching receiver A.J. Brown has been shipped off to New England. Unimaginative offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been fired. And a banged-up offensive line appears to be healthy once again heading into Sunday’s season opener against Washington.
Hurts, 28, will likely never be confused with premier passers like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Matt Stafford or Josh Allen. Though he throws a great deep ball, Hurts just misses too many reads from the pocket to be considered as proficient as those top ball spinners.
However, I find it pretty interesting Hurts is 8-1-1 against those four quarterbacks in head-to-head regular-season matchups. He also outplayed Mahomes in two Super Bowls with one of those being an MVP performance and a victory just two years ago. In 2022, Hurts finished second in regular-season MVP voting and was a second-team All-Pro.
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Realistically, I see Hurts with the potential to be somewhere in the bottom half of the top-10 of overall quarterbacks. There will be stiff competition in the top 10. Along with the aforementioned players, Hurts will have to fend off other top passers like Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and Justin Herbert in Los Angeles, along with divisional foe Dak Prescott in Dallas. Rising younger talents like Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville and Drake Maye in New England may be ready to take the next leap into the upper echelon.
One of the traits that separates Hurts from other quarterbacks is his great agility outside the pocket. He is a known dual-threat weapon that rushed for 421 yards on 105 carries last year, the lowest totals since his rookie season. It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Sean Mannion can unlock Hurts’ potential by allowing him to operate in space.
Some designed rollouts and designed quarterback runs may be just what the doctor ordered to get those rushing numbers back up. Mix in some more Tush Push plays on short-yardage situations, and Hurts may be able to ascend past some of the better quarterbacks in pro football.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 11:32 AM.