Can the Eagles Rise with Heightened Expectations?
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PHILADELPHIA - Everything is now in place.
The weapons, the difference-makers on defense, and now a schedule that is again one of the easiest in the NFL, at least on paper and in the month of May.
The final and most important piece of the puzzle for the Eagles, one that will be the difference between a good team and a potential realistic contender in the watered-down NFC, is the quarterback.
Jalen Hurts has improved every season dating back to his days at college with Alabama and Oklahoma and there is no reason to think that doesn't continue in Year 3 of his professional career, not with the addition of A.J. Brown bolstering the receiving corps, a top-five tight end in Dallas Goedert, and a rushing attack that was No. 1 in the NFL last seasons thanks to perhaps the best offensive line in football and Hurts himself.
"I think this is an exciting time to be an Eagle," Hurts said earlier this month. "I think coming off the things we were able to accomplish and overcome last year, I think there’s a lot to look forward to and just knowing that for me, one thing I’ve been telling the guys is the foundation has been set, the standard has been set and the only direction is to climb."
Add in the expectations which seem to have spiked after Day 1 of the draft when GM Howie Roseman was able to add talented defensive tackle Jordan Davis and Brown to what already was a playoff-level roster.
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There are still holes, most notably in the defensive backfield, but a large portion of the fan base seems to have shifted from 'we're not ready' to 'why not us?' in the time it takes Devon Allen to run a 40-yard dash.
Hurts is the key to it all as he continues to battle the perception that the organization is not completely sold on the one-time second-round pick despite the constant affirmation when the microphones appear.
There was truth to the Eagles' interest in superstar-level options like Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson had they been open to Philadelphia in the offseason but what's often glossed over is that Hurts is well-liked enough that the Eagles weren't all that interested in recent first-round picks like Justin Fields and Kenny Pickett, nor potential minor upgrades like veterans Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield.
More so, Hurts has the demeanor to where Roseman can afford to swing for the fences without worrying about the effect it might have on the young quarterback's psyche.
"The thing about Jalen is he's always Even Steven, so you can't so you can't really tell but he handles himself very well," running back Miles Sanders said. "I love how he leads the team and he's always talking or giving us certain things to do to make us better.
"People don't even know behind closed doors. That's what I love about him. At the end of the day, he's a great leader."
Goedert sees the same things when it comes to his QB.
"Ever since he's been here, he's been a tremendous leader and a hard worker," he said. "I don't see that changing I think it just continues to grow. He always has that swagger with him."
Dallas Goedert/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
What's counterintuitive about Hurts is that the intangibles are a given and the pause is about the skill set and the traits to be a championship-level signal-caller. Typically it's the opposite with young quarterbacks.
In Nick Sirianni's four-pronged evaluation method for quarterbacks, Hurts easily reaches the bar when it comes to mobility and ability to generate off-schedule offense.
Arm strength, which is debated by those outside the NovaCare Complex when it comes to Hurts, has also been checked off with the Eagles determining that the third-year thrower reaches the bar when it comes to making NFL-level throws consistently even without the Josh Allen-like fastball.
The last two Sirianni categories - accuracy and decision-making - are in the to-be-determined column and still need improvement.
Goedert believes that being in the same offense, something Hurts hasn't had the luxury of since his high school days will work wonders in itself.
"I think him not having to learn another offense, him knowing the offense, he just feels more comfortable," Goedert said. "He can tell people what he wants, he can tell people 'don't do this, because I'm looking at this first.'"
Once the chemistry comes with the offense the raised expectations can be met.
"The only way we can do that is doing it together, connecting and doing all these things we do in the spring to come together, learn the system and build on the things that we’ve done," Hurts said. "So, the message has been simply, the only direction is to rise.
"... It doesn’t happen overnight. ... invest every day, put the work in every day to achieve those things over time."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
