Jalen Hurts' Receivers: Eagles Surprise as Best in NFL?
The Philadelphia Eagles' position groups get a lot of attention when it comes to ratings. Included in that group, according to rankings from Pro Football Focus, the Eagles receiving corps is among the league's best - maybe a surprise to the Jalen Hurts doubters.
Continuing their series of ranking each team's position group from No. 1 to No. 32, PFF has the Eagles receivers (tight ends included) as the No. 2 overall group. The only team ahead of the Eagles is the Cincinnati Bengals.
"A.J. Brown’s elite play put the Eagles high on this list, but it’s more than just him. DeVonta Smith really took his game to another level in 2022, earning an 80.0-plus receiving grade and putting up over 1,300 yards on the season," PFF writes. "And then throw in Dallas Goedert, one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, who has earned a 90.8 receiving grade over the last two seasons, third among his peers behind only Travis Kelce (91.8) and George Kittle (91.3)."
These position rankings from PFF truly show how stacked the Eagles' roster is; the defensive line is ranked No. 1, while the offensive line garnered the same honors.
Despite the narrative of Hurts only being a "running quarterback," the Eagles' offense produced not one but two 1,000-yard receivers. Brown, the fourth-year veteran, led Philly with 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns on 88 receptions. Smith came in second at 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 receptions.
Brown set the bar high in his first year with the Eagles after general manager Howie Roseman exchanged their 2022 No. 18 and 101 picks to land him in a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans last offseason. Goedert completes a top-notch trio of pass-catchers, as he finished last season with 702 yards and three touchdowns on 55 receptions.
After struggling to some degree in his first two seasons, Hurts has developed into one of the league's top quarterbacks, and one obviously capable of leading the Eagles to another Super Bowl. If Philly is to make it back to the Big Game next February, it will likely be due in large part to their passing game ... and a group of receivers ranked too high to be a "surprise'' to anyone ever again.
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