Chris Simms has not been high on Jalen Hurts.
But, boy, is he high on the 2022 Eagles.
How high?
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"I think the Eagles are going to be one of the best teams in the NFC," the NBC Sports NFL analyst said recently on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast with Ahmed Fareed. "I love Nick Sirianni, I like their defense, [Jonathan] Gannon coaching that side of the ball, they've got support staff of assistant coaches that I like. And then, like, you're talking about the roster's real."
Coming off of a playoff berth in 2021, the Eagles acquired A.J. Brown, James Bradberry, Haason Reddick and Kyzir White this offseason. They added Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to that group this week.
Simms highlighted the Eagles' favorable schedule, particularly the team's first six games, as for why the Birds could race out of the chute.
"There's not a team in the first six weeks that has the same roster as the Eagles," Simms said. "They have a chance here to get off to an incredible start."
And have a big finish.
Simms picked the Eagles to secure the NFC's No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. He has them losing in the conference title game to the 49ers.
Does he still worry about Hurts? Yes. But Simms has seen some growth from Hurts and doesn't believe team success in the NFL has to be solely about the quarterback position.
Everyone will get their first look at the 2022 Hurts on Sept. 11 against the Lions in Detroit.
NFL
"He's gotten better," Simms said. "I liked the way he looked in the preseason and I know he's a worker and he's unflappable that way."
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