American Football
Eagles QB controversy? 13-year vet says Philly should be ‘all-in’ on Hurts
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has won a Vince Lombardi Trophy, been awarded the Super Bowl MVP, and has three Pro Bowls on his resume.
Despite that success, whispers from certain quarters around the league would have you believe Nick Sirianni and Co. should consider finding a successor for the 27-year-old in the upcoming draft.
The rumblings of discontent follow a 2025 season in which the Eagles' offense took a step back, scoring only 22.5 points per game after putting up 27.2 points per game in 2024.
For his part in that drop-off, Hurts' passer rating dropped from 103.7 to 98.5, and his completion percentage from 68.7 to 64.8.
His struggles were most evident in the Wild Card round, when Philly fell 23-19 to the San Francisco 49ers and Hurts completed only 57.1% of his attempts for 168 yards.
The criticism that has followed has been loud.
In the Path to the Draft feature on NFL Network, available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN, five of the six NFL analysts predicted the Eagles would draft an offensive tackle, presumably as a long-term successor to Lane Johnson.
Show co-host Rhett Lewis went in a different direction, tabbing Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson to Philly with pick No. 23 in his mock draft.
Lewis asked the show guest and longtime NFL veteran Brian Baldinger whether he believes the Eagles should target a quarterback. Baldinger was clear in his response.
"I wouldn't," he began. "As a guy who played in Philadelphia and lives in Philadelphia, the quarterback and controversies that follow have always been there, going back to Sonny Jurgensen and Norm Snead.
"I played with Randall Cunningham, I saw it with Donovan McNabb, it's happening with the quarterback now.
"I think you really need to let Jalen Hurts go all-in, with the new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion, a new offensive line coach with Chris Cooper, and let him take all the reps, be the number one quarterback, without ever hearing anyone talking about Ty Simpson."
Mitchell Leff / Stringer
Baldinger believes the Eagles should focus on other positions with their ample draft capital, which includes six selections in the first four rounds.
"They need to address either the offensive line and maybe the future departures of Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson, or they need to address the defensive line and get some healthy pass rushers off the edge."
Lewis then playfully showed the following post on X from user @THEKID_
Lewis may be sticking to his guns, but Baldinger and at least a certain portion of the Eagles fanbase vehemently disagree.
And in a city where that thrives on quarterback debates, Baldinger’s message is simple. Stop searching, and start backing the guy who has already delivered.
