If it feels like the Eagles have been a little bit all over the place when it comes to the quarterback position in recent months, there’s a reason for that. Apparently, they are.
Rob Maaddi, who covers the Eagles for the Associated Press, recently made this observation on Twitter: “Eagles are unsure about Jalen Hurts. No consensus in the building. After beating the Saints, they wanted to get rid of Carson Wentz. After next 3 losses, they wanted to work it out with Carson. After trading Carson, they considered a trade up for a QB before trading down to 12.”
A trade up surely would have been aimed at landing a quarterback. It feels like the eventual trade down was aimed at removing the temptation to take one at No. 6.
Regardless, it definitely seems like the Eagles lack clarity and certainty regarding their quarterback situation. And perhaps for good reason. There are three types of teams in the NFL: (1) those with true franchise quarterbacks; (2) those desperately looking for a true franchise quarterback; and (3) those who have a quarterback who may, or may not, become a franchise quarterback.
The Eagles currently are in Category Three. Jalen Hurts has shown promise, but they don’t know what he can be. They won’t know for sure until he plays enough in new coach Nick Siriaani’s system to give defenses sufficient film to figure out how to try to stop Hurts. If he plays at a high level even after that point, maybe he’ll become a franchise guy.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly wants to give Hurts a chance to show what he can do. That’s the best approach. Go all in with the second-year second-rounder for a season, and then reassess the situation. It’s too early to know whether he will or won’t become a true franchise guy.
Once the Eagles know the answer, then they should act accordingly. And if they decide after this year that Hurts isn’t the guy, their trade down from No. 6 to No. 12 gives them the extra ammunition in next year’s draft to move up, if need be, to take another swing at finding what the Eagles haven’t had since Donovan McNabb.
From Kevin Kolb to Mike Vick to Nick Foles to Sam Bradford to Carson Wentz to Hurts, the search continues. If it’s not Hurts, the search will continue. For now, the Eagles owe it to themselves and to the player to see what they have in Hurts.