Eagles OC Has Clear Mission

New Eagles OC Kellen Moore needs to get Jalen Hurts back on track.

Eagles OC Kellen Moore / John McMullen/Eagles Today

PHILADELPHIA - If Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts played like he did in the 2022 season, it’s likely Kellen Moore wouldn’t be the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.

The logical extension to that thought is Moore’s impact when it comes to getting the fifth-year signal-caller back to being one of the biggest difference-makers in the NFL.

Nothing matters more to the Eagles. 

The runner-up to Patrick Mahomes, both in the MVP race and in Super Bowl LVII at the end of the 2022 campaign, Hurts was cruising toward another impact season a year ago and was the front-runner for MVP on the betting markets during a 10-1 start before the wheels fell off.

Ultimately Hurts family friend Brian Johnson, now the assistant head coach and passing game coordinator in Washington under Dan Quinn, and QB coach Alex Tanney, now the passing game coordinator in Indianapolis, were the scapegoats for Hurts’ inability to adjust to the shell coverage defenses were using in an attempt to stop the big play.

Instead of practicing patience and riding a different wave to victory, Hurts too often pressed the issue when it came to splash plays, resulting in far too many turnovers and derailed drives.

Moore and his long-time consigliere in Dallas and with the LA Chargers, QB coach Doug Nussmeier, are the new voices when it comes to connecting with Hurts.

The somewhat tortured idea is to meld what has previously worked with Hurts to Moore’s idea of offensive football.

"I think everyone's got their different flavor from a systematic approach," Moore said this week. "Our real focus here, as we've gone through this process, is we've got a lot of good going on. We can't lose the good in the reps that Jalen and [wide receiver] A.J. [Brown] have developed and [tight end] Dallas [Goedert] has developed and this offensive line has developed. 

“How can we build off of those things and really connect the whole thing.? That's been a really fun process. There will be tweaks. There will be changes. Everything is constantly evolving. That's part of this whole offseason program."

If Moore is the offensive mind the Eagles believe he is the better way to handle things is to let the OC do his job. The offense will evolve to include what Hurts does best is a more holistic way.

Trying to Benjamin Button that sentiment is asking for trouble. 

The two areas that are in question are the plus-one aspect Hurts brings to the running game, something that former Moore students Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert do not possess at the same kind of level, and pre-snap motion, a tool Nick Sirianni, Shane Steichen, and Johnson used less than anyone else in the NFL.

"Certainly what Jalen's done in the run game, there's a handful of guys that can do this in this league,” Moore said. “It's certainly a really advantageous thing that we can continue to utilize, and certainly we will.  It's a process that I've enjoyed, just better learning about how we've been able to use him and then exploring some other ways as we continue to grow this thing, how we can continue to build off of that.

"It's something that Jalen's done a phenomenal job with, and we'll obviously continue to embrace."

As far as motion, that’s been a staple of Moore’s life since childhood and when he was a star QB himself at Boise State.

“Certainly the shift in motion aspect of it, it probably goes back to how I grew up around the game with my dad being a high school coach, then being in college at Boise State, we kind of used it a lot,” Moore said. “It's always kind of stuck with me. 

“There's obviously advantages to it.”

There are two elements behind getting players moving, according to Moore.

“There's some things that you're trying to gather information for the defense, and there's other times you're simply stressing the defense,” Moore said. “So I think there's those two elements.

"Ultimately you're trying to build packages and create things so that the run and the action game and the drop-back game. So there's alignment and similarities with the presentations that allows us to stress the defense with those different looks.”

As far as the personal relationship between Moore and Hurts, that’s what is being built now.

“I've really enjoyed our conversations. I think he's a really smart player,” Moore said. “He has a great feel for this game. The more conversations we have, the more we get to make these adjustments and build off of this thing. Jalen's one of the premier quarterbacks in this league for a reason.”

MORE NFL: Newly Signed Linebacker May Get Cut By Eagles Despite Joining This Offseason