Eagles Rumors Hint At Early QB Pick In 2026 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the top quarterbacks in the National Football League.

Jalen Hurts is a star. He had a bad game on Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but this is a guy who has been a Super Bowl MVP, two-time Pro Bowler, regular-season MVP runner-up, and the list goes on. Even if you don't love the play style, there's no denying that the vast majority of teams around the league would be very happy if Hurts was their quarterback.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Even this season, Hurts and the Eagles are 8-5. Hurts has 19 touchdown passes to six interceptions along with 2,754 passing yards. For all of the flak the passing offense has gotten, Hurts actually is averaging 18 more passing yards per game than he was last year (193.5 vs. 211.8). Also, Hurts has eight rushing touchdowns and 337 rushing yards.

The Eagles have a star

Dec 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

All of this is to say, Hurts is good and the Eagles are fortunate to have him. It's not easy to find a quarterback to build, but he fits that description. In the wake of his four-interception game against the Chargers, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked whether he would consider benching Hurts, which he obviously shut down. But one nugget of information that came out this week was ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reporting that there are rumors out there that the Eagles may take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft on the earlier side.

"Some people around the league were starting to think the Eagles might draft a quarterback high in 2026 even before Jalen Hurts' four-interception performance Monday," Fowler wrote. "The prediction from those folks: GM Howie Roseman snags a passer on Day 2, allowing Hurts to serve as the starter in 2026 while having a future starter to develop. '(The Eagles) will do to Jalen what they did to Carson Wentz,' one industry source predicted.

"The Eagles know that their passing game struggles largely because Hurts has limitations. The reality is the 2024 season was an aberration because Saquon Barkley and a dominant O-line were breaking off big gains weekly, opening up play-action and downfield shots for the passing game. This isn't the same offensive line, which means the Barkley gains aren't as frequent. That places the spotlight on Hurts, for better or worse. We saw the good in glimpses against the Chargers -- an 11-play drive late in the first half was run-heavy and set up a pair of 11-yard completions for Hurts. But the game featured Hurts in straight dropback situations often, and that can lead to problems."

This isn't some random blogger saying something, Fowler is one of the top overall league insiders out there. So, the fact that he has heard rumblings about the possibility of the team drafting a quarterback early is interesting.

The Eagles took a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft in Kyle McCord, but did so in the sixth round. If the Eagles take a quarterback early in 2026, that would change the narrative. But Hurts is just 27 years old. This is a guy who should be in Philadelphia for years to come.

More NFL: Eagles’ Old Friend Could Stand Between Philly, Ending 3-Game Skid