ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jalen Hurts wasn't the quarterback the Philadelphia Eagles were accustomed to seeing at the end of the 2023 season. Coincidentally, that's when the Eagles lost six of their last seven games.
Questions arose regarding Hurts' play on and off the field, searching for answers on what led to the Eagles' collapse. Most of them were directed at the $255 million quarterback, who went 27-2 in the previous 29 games prior to the losing skid.
What do the Eagles want to change regarding Hurts? The answer is something Hurts knows how to do very well.
"The thing with Jalen, I want him to be authentic," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said at the NFL Annual League Meeting on Tuesday. "That's what he is. It's the worst thing to be 24, 25 and to try to be something. Be authentic as he is. He's an excellent, excellent example."
Hurts was plagued by turnovers last season, committing 20 in the 17 regular-season games (15 interceptions, five fumbles lost). The uncharacteristic giveaways affected his play, as Hurts completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,161 yards with five touchdowns to five interceptions for a 77.6 passer rating in the final six games.
Hurts also had 195 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns (4.5 yards per carry), but those aren't typical Hurts numbers. A recurring knee injury may have played a role, yet Hurts' leadership was questioned along with the play on the field.
Ironically, that wasn't a problem when the Eagles were 10-1. Hurts remained the same through and through.
"You know there's times where stoicism, when we were 10-1 people said, oh, it's because of Jalen's stoicism and calm under the storm that we're 10-1 in all those close games," Lurie said. "And then lose a few, and, ah, maybe he's not as demonstrative or whatever."
The Eagles want Hurts to be himself. A pretty easy request for someone who knows how to handle those things.
"I love the way Jalen is," Lurie said. "I think he has his own style. ... Every quarterback goes through ebbs and flows in their career, and so there were so many ups, and then we had a difficult final five or six games of the year.
"He will adjust to that and lead the way because he's really respected for being who he is, and that's -- you have a 25-year-old player, I think you want to reinforce who they are, not try to mold them into somebody they're not. He's an exceptional leader."
