Jalen Hurts Shows Critical Leadership Eagles Need With Offseason Retreat

There's no debate whether Jalen Hurts is a leader of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Leadership is arguably Hurts' biggest strength as a quarterback. This is why Hurts wins at the clip he does (.695 win percentage after six seasons) and has two Super Bowl appearances (winning one).

For all the criticism regarding Hurts' play on the field, leadership isn't one of them.

Hurts put that on display in Florida last week, as multiple Eagles players put photos on Instagram regarding a Florida retreat organized by the Eagles quarterback. Eli Stowers was one of the players there, along with Hollywood Brown -- as they were the two posting Instagram stories surrounding the event.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts got a bunch of the Eagles offensive players together, especially the younger players, for training, workouts, golf, and bonding in Orlando, Florida 📸 Eli Stowers pic.twitter.com/FW33t3blzF
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 5, 2026

1. Eagles pass catchers in attendance at Jalen Hurts' Florida workout

DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, Elijah Moore, Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, Darius Cooper, Cameron Latu, E.J. Jenkins

What this means for Eagles offense going forward

This isn't the first time Hurts has worked out with his teammates in the offseason, but it's notable considering all the new pieces in the offense -- and the Eagles running an entirely new offense from what Hurts is used to.

Think of all the new pass catchers the Eagles have in this offense. Wicks is in a competition to b ethe WR2 with Makai lemon, as both players weren't on the team last season. Brown also was added as a free agent, same with Elijah Moore.

That's four wide receivers at the get together who weren't on the team last year. This isn't even mentioning the tight ends.

Stowers is one of the offseason acquisitions at tight end, while Johnny Mundt and Stone Smartt were free agent signings. Of the players on the Eagles last season, Smith, Goedert, and Cooper were the only three on the 53-man roster that were at Hurts' retreat.

Hurts needs more than just spring practices to get the communication and timing down with his pass catchers. The Eagles are going to have three new wide receivers and two new tight ends that will factor into the offense, so these players need all the time they can get.

Taking time in the summer and getting together only helps the Eagles offense. Training camp will be a different animal, as the Eagles don't want to be behind the 8-ball when facing a top-5 defense.

Is the Eagles offense behind?

Most offenses are typically behind in spring ball, thanks to the nature of practicing in shells and shorts and learning a new system. Learning concepts takes time, so it's hard to find any takeaways with how the development of the offense is going.

There are things to evaluate, but Hurts wants this offense to perform at a high level once the pads come on. A lot is going on for Hurts this summer regarding the state of this offense, from gaining chemistry with his pass catchers towards mastering the new system.

Hurts needs to work on getting rid of the ball quicker and throwing in the middle of the field. What better way to work on these aspects of his game than with the players he'll actually be throwing the ball to this season.

Wicks isn't going to be a good player in this system without getting his timing down with Hurts. The same can be said with Brown and Stowers. The Eagles are counting on Wicks and Brown to be consistent pass catchers in the offense.

This is why it's important Hurts gathers his pass catchers during the six-week break. The Eagles are playing catch up to the defense. They need to be ready for training camp.

Why it was important Hurts did this

With A.J. Brown no longer in the fold, Hurts has to re-establish himself as the voice of the Eagles offense -- fair or not. Hurts is the leader in that locker room, but also needs to show that to his new pass catchers.

A lot of these players were not on the Eagles last season. They don't know about anything regarding Hurts and Brown and what went on over the past few years regarding Brown's frustration with the offense.

This is a fresh start for Hurts with the new offense and the new pass catchers he has. Hurts saw an opportunity to bond with his teammates and grow with them as they learn the offense together.

Team bonding during non-football times is important, and Hurts knows that is a part of leadership. His teammates are going to see who he his off the field as well as on it.

The extra practice sessions are a benefit, but the off-field bonding will last a lifetime. This will be something the Eagles' players in attendance will talk about for years -- regardless how they performed on the field.

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