Jalen Hurts Calls Gelling New Offense a 'Challenge' as Eagles as Key Reinforcements Loom

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The Eagles' practice report was 24 players deep on Wednesday as the team kicked off on-field preparation for their Week 6 game against the Panthers.

Days after a difficult 19-17 loss to the Jaguars in London, quarterback Jalen Hurts acknowledged that all the moving parts have affected the idea of “gelling” with a new offense.

“It's a challenge. It's a challenge,” the Eagles’ on-field leader admitted when asked about the current on-field snapshot by Eagles On SI. Philadelphia was down to its fourth running back and No. 3 options at center and left guard against the Jags.

“I don't think that's [a challenge] that we're naive of,” Hurts noted. “I think for me, it's always pushing for that connection and that synergy so everybody's on the same page.”

Hidden by the devastation of the latest setback, the team’s third consecutive loss, against a team many consider to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, was that the Eagles persevered and were in a position to win with eight seconds left if they could have found a way to execute on kickoff coverage.

One of the takeaways from the game for me with the new unit, I had every ounce of confidence that we would go out there and fight and give ourselves a position or give ourselves the opportunity to be in the game and win.
Jalen Hurts

That part of the equation turned out to be true, just as it was in Week 4 when Philadelphia came up just short of the Rams, another well-regarded contender.

Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way.

Eagles are getting healthier (and that's great news for their offensive outlook)

The Eagles started the practice windows of four players on injured reserve Wednesday, most notably three-time Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson.

If Dickerson is healthy enough to be serviceable on the interior of the offensive line, that should be a big boost to Sean Mannion’s struggling offense. Getting back potential pass-catching tight ends Grant Calcaterra and Eli Stowers could also help Mannion vary his personnel groupings more consistently.

Landon Dickerson points up. — Landon Dickerson's eventual return gives Eagles fans plenty to be excited about on the offensive side of the ball. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In what’s shaping up to be a poor division, there can be a strong argument that the Eagles remain the most likely team to come out of the NFC East as the slow trickle of contributors coming back continues over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, younger players are getting valuable reps to bank for the future.

“We've got a lot that we can be better at, a lot that we can learn from,” Hurts said. “But with the new guys and the preparation and the hunger that they have, it was a different feeling when I looked into their eyes in the huddle.”

That feeling encourages Hurts.

As a quarterback, that's encouraging. You got guys going out there for the first time. Who knows? I've been there before, and they fought. And so I think as a unit, there's some natural peace to that.
Jalen Hurts, Eagles QB

The larger purpose remains gelling to get back to the winning the Eagles are accustomed to.

“Just wanting to win and desire to win,” said Hurts. “When you talk about gelling and wanting to do things a certain way, can't forget what the larger purpose is. And that's to go out there and find ways to win. And so, we've got to find our identity and being able to do that.”

For Hurts, the past is the past, and the goal is getting this group—no matter what it looks like—up to speed.

“... It's hard for me to compare to the past because this is not the past,” he said. “We got where we are right now. So it's more of a focus of what do we do to get this right in this moment with this group and this team.”

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