What's Jalen Hurts' Impact On The Eagles' Offensive Struggles?

PHILADELPHIA - While the Eagles continue to struggle offensively, more questions are starting to arise around Jalen Hurts and the QB1’s style of play impacting the way head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo scheme and call the offense.

Reports recently broke that Hurts himself has directed the Eagles away from the designed run game for the quarterback, one of the traits that has helped the ground game excel over the years.

Patullo was asked again on Wednesday why Hurts’ designed runs are down this season.

“I think we've talked about this before. I think as we go forward, he's going to continue to be a part of the offense and some of these design runs, and we just have to pick and choose when they're available and when they present themselves,” Patullo said. “Sometimes they do in moments, and he's done it the last couple of weeks, and we've got to continue to lean into that.”

Earlier in the season, a team source informed Eagles on SI that yes, the goal was to better protect Hurts, at least early in the season, with the idea that things will get amped up return to normal in high-leverage situations.

At 8-4 after losing two straight and dropping from the No. 1 seed to No. 3 in the NFC in advance of a Monday night matchup at the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers, it’s fair to say high leverage has arrived for the Eagles.

The QB run game is not the only problem with the offense, however.

The passing game remains limited from a schematic standpoint and while Sirianni and Patullo get most of the blame, some are beginning to realize just how similar things have looked in the Hurts era no matter who the play-caller has been.

Patullo was asked how much of the team’s playbook is left in mothballs on game days.

What's Going On With Eagles' Offense?

A.J. Brown and Kevin Patullo before an Eagles practice. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

“As far as the overall playbook, I think when you look at it, there's certain things that we generally like to do from week to week,” Patullo said. “... We're trying to find new things to try to help create explosives or do different things. I think when you look at the overall game plan, depending on what the defense presents and depending on what we think we can put in in that amount of time, it varies.”

The call sheet through Sirianni, Shane Steichen, Brian Johnson, Kellen Moore and now Patullo has remained similar from a volume standpoint so nothing has been scaled back.

“The call sheet, obviously throughout the years, has kind of been similar as far as the volume numbers, and it just depends on whether or not it materializes in the game,” the OC said. “Unfortunately, the other day [in a loss to Chicago] we didn't have a lot of plays in the first half the way it went. So, in the second half, we had to throw it more and it got a little bit different.”

Unscouted looks and opposing defenses going against tendency to take their best shot at the reigning Super Bowl champions have also complicated things for the Eagles.

“The game flows have been just different,” Patullo admitted. “We haven't been in a lot of normal flows, only a few times like the Giants game, the Vikings, where we've had a consistent flow where plays are just kind of coming off the call sheet.”

The final issue addressed was the lack of common NFL concepts in the passing game, something Patullo fended off.

“I think if it presents itself that week, we usually have [things like that in[ and it's just whether or not we get to it in the game,” said Patullo.

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