Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2023 season.
25. Nolan Smith
24. Quez Watkins
23. Kenny Gainwell
22. Marcus Mariota
21. Reed Blankenship
20. Brandon Graham
19. D'Andre Swift
18. Avonte Maddox
17. Cam Jurgens
16. Fletcher Cox
15. Landon Dickerson
14. Jordan Davis
13. Nakobe Dean
12. Jalen Carter
11. James Bradberry
10. Jordan Mailata
9. Josh Sweat
8. DeVonta Smith
7. Darius Slay
6. Dallas Goedert
5. Jason Kelce
4. A.J. Brown
3. Haason Reddick
2. Lane Johnson
1. Jalen Hurts
Even if Jalen Hurts wasn’t a superstar who just finished second in MVP voting last year, he still would have been No. 1 on this list.
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The fact that he is all those things, added to the $255 million contract extension he got this offseason, means that Hurts is No. 1 … and No. 2 isn’t close.
Hurts was incredible in 2022.
He entered his third NFL season surrounded by questions about whether or not he could prove himself as the Eagles’ franchise quarterback. By the end of the year, he was a Pro Bowler, an MVP runner-up and the only question left was about how long it would take before his massive payday. It didn’t take very long.
That five-year, $255 million extension happened on April 17 and made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL for a short period before Lamar Jackson passed the mark.
NFL
Hurts certainly deserved an extension and the Eagles never wanted to play games. It came together fairly quickly.
Hurts in 2022 led the Eagles to a 14-1 record in the regular season. He completed a career-high 66.5% of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also had 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
How important was Hurts to the Eagles’ in 2022? Well, they were 16-2 with him and 0-2 without him on the season. They lost both games in Week 16 and Week 17 with Gardner Minshew out there, but Hurts returned despite his injury and helped the Eagles clinch the top seed with a Week 17 win. And then in the playoffs, Hurts kept it going. He led the Eagles to back-to-back wins against the Giants and 49ers.
And even though the Eagles lost in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts played great. Sure, his fumble that was returned for a touchdown was a very costly mistake, but Hurts kept pace with Patrick Mahomes in that game and came very close to leading the Eagles to a win. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown and had 70 yards on the ground with 3 more scores.
We’ll forever wonder what would have happened if James Bradberry wasn’t called for holding and Hurts got a chance for one more drive to win the game.
Hurts was great in 2022, but he’s not resting. With some players, you’d worry about what a mega contract would do to their work ethic, but the Eagles certainly aren’t worried about that with Hurts. In fact, his work ethic is one of the reasons they think he’s gotten this good this fast.
“My emphasis has been just turning my weaknesses into my strengths,” Hurts said this spring. “Now, somebody’s going to ask what are my weaknesses. That’s for me to know. But it’s all just about getting better. It’s about getting better.
“I think about all the different things last year that I did at a high level and to my standards and the things I didn’t do at a high level. But I think the thing that kind of keeps me going is being my biggest critic. Certain things are allowed but for me it may not be. So knowing that, staying true to that, staying true to myself and then also staying true to my coaches. Taking that coaching and continuing to grow.”
It’s hard to believe that Hurts is still juts 24 years old. He won’t turn 25 until Aug. 7.
Going into the 2023 season, Hurts has the fourth-longest MVP odds, according to PointsBet:
Patrick Mahomes: +650
Josh Allen: +700
Joe Burrow: +700
Jalen Hurts: +950
Justin Herbert: +1200
Even though the Eagles lost their offensive coordinator from the last two years when Shane Steichen took the head coaching gig in Indy, the offense is still in good hands. And now former quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, who has known Hurts for most of his life, is taking over as the new OC and play caller. Hurts is also entering Year 3 in Nick Sirianni’s offense and will continue to get more comfortable with it.
“I do see another jump in everything that he's done with accuracy, with the decision making,” Sirianni said at OTAs. “We're doing 7-on-7, so there is no (pass) rush … except for the guys that are walking at him with the bags. But (assistant equipment manager) Peter (Gould) is not going to make a sack on him in that particular case.
“But I do see his development continuing. That's what we talk about with Jalen all the time. I don't know what his ceiling is because he just keeps getting better, and he's going to continue to do that.”
A year after getting to the Super Bowl, the Eagles’ roster is again stacked heading into 2023. They have a great defensive line, stud receivers, dangerous weapons and the best offensive line in football. But in the NFL, the most important position is still quarterback.
The Eagles have one of the best in the business. And if they want to get back to the Super Bowl, they’ll need him to be that again in 2023.
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