It is time for Philly to move on from Carson Wentz and give Jalen Hurts a shot. Wentz has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL so far this year. It is reflective of his stats and it is visible while watching the games. He leads the league in interceptions thrown and is ranked 28th for QBR. Doug Pederson should plug in Jalen Hurts asap to give this team a new look and new identity, while also looking ahead at next year and the years to come. Wentz hasn’t done anything to solidify that he is the franchise quarterback since being involved in the MVP race back in 2018.
Hurts was the 53rd overall pick in the draft and the 5th picked quarterback. Three of the four quarterbacks picked have played exceptionally well so far, and have seemed to have earned their roles for many years to come. Joe Borrow, Tua Tagovailia, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love were the quarterbacks picked before him. This could possibly be one of the better quarterback drafts in recent times. It feels like 2020 is a changing of the guards kind of year in the NFL. Many new names are out-performing the old names, older players are slowly declining in production and the young guys are taking charge. Hurts is definitely capable of being a notable member of this rookie class.
In College
Lets not forget who Hurts was in college. Hurts was one of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA for a bit. In his college career, he has 80 passing touchdowns with 20 interceptions. That’s two more touchdowns than Borrow threw in college. Hurts is also a great runner. He had 43 rushing touchdowns during his college career, that being one of the clear advantages to his game over Wentz. His ability to rush is something the Eagles need. Wentz leads the league in times sacked and yards lost due to sacks. Hurts could cut those numbers down by getting out in the open field and making plays.
The Eagles (3-6-1), find themselves sitting at the top of the sad and boring NFC East. This division is filled with injuries. The Washington Football Team and Dallas Cowboys have both lost their number one quarterback and the Giants have lost their star running back in Saquon Barkley. The Eagles are running out of excuses not to win this division this year. With the way Wentz is playing they don’t have anything to lose starting Hurts at this point in time, except the 32 million that they are currently over-paying Wentz on the year. If I were an Eagles fan I’d want to see what Hurts is all about. The Eagles need an edge going into a tough four game stretch against the Seahawks, Packers, Saints and Cardinals.
For more takes head to www.bellyupsports.com or follow us on twitter @BellyUpSports.
