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What Do the Eagles Have Planned for Jalen Hurts?

Philly coach Doug Pederson sees any number of possible uses as Hurts transitions to an NFL quarterback

So how do the Philadelphia Eagles plan to use Jalen Hurts?

“I have no idea what’s going to happen,” Hurts said last week when the Eagles picked him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, though that statement really could be attributed to almost anyone in Eagles HQ.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro offered up a handful of possible scenarios in which the Eagles could utilize Hurts’ substantial skillset.

One is as a multitool weapon like New Orleans has defined for backup quarterback Taysom Hill.

Another is a future Lamar Jackson, i.e., an heir apparent to starter Carson Wentz who understudies for a short period of time before taking the offense in a new direction.

Still another is coming up with even more frequent and more creative ways to have two QBs on the field at once.

And yet another is utilizing Hurts as “a straight running back,” per one unnamed Eagles source. “That’s how good we think he is.”

Hurts improved as a passer during his college career at Alabama, and last year he set an OU school record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. That's saying a lot considering the Sooners' triple-option tradition.

“He has a unique skillset and you see what Taysom Hill has done in New Orleans. And now he and Drew Brees have a connection there and a bond there,” Pederson said last week. “You look at with (Joe) Flacco and Lamar (Jackson) in Baltimore (in 2018) in the short period of time, how they gelled together. It’s just something we’re going to explore.

“I want to make a point here: First and foremost,” Pederson continued. “Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback. He was drafted as a quarterback and he was a quarterback first. But he has a unique skillset. He’s a great runner, obviously. He throws well on the run. He has a unique set of skills that we’re going to take a look at as well as we keep developing this offseason and this advancement as we get ready for training camp.”

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