Why 'Fear' Factor Is Missing In Jalen Hurts And Eagles' Passing Game

Two consecutive seasons with a subpar passing game have settled Hurts into the mediocre range when it comes to league thinking.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHILADELPHIA - What did you expect?

There is plenty to like about Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, but nostalgia takes a back seat when the goal is to take a current snapshot of the NFL. 

Two consecutive seasons with a subpar passing game have settled Hurts into the mediocre range when it comes to league thinking, according to Jeremy Fowler’s annual poll of NFL executives, scouts and coaches.

Execs, coaches, scouts rank Top 10 Quarterbacks:

-Allen vs Mahomes in closest race for 1st yet
-Stafford snipes nearly 20% first-place votes
-Burrow vs Lamar for T2
-Prescott way ⬆️
-NFL can't quit Herbert
-Caleb!
-Major snubshttps://t.co/vl2lldMqhw

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 13, 2026

Hurts, the Super Bowl LIX MVP, was put at No. 17 and into Tier 6 of the current league landscape.

Citing conversations around the NFL, Fowler noted that Hurts does not generate the same level of “fear” among opposing defenses as the league’s elite passers while discussing the list with Philadelphia 97.5 The Fanatic.

Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) On Why People Around The NFL Ranked Jalen Hurts As The 17th Best QB On @975Middays:

"There is a great deal of respect in the league for Jalen Hurts, for his intangibles, for his toughness. He throws a great deep ball, and he does a lot of things… pic.twitter.com/Kl74FkEdoo

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) July 13, 2026

The ESPN reporter also described a widespread respect for Hurts’ intangibles while pointing to the statistical realities that have tempered his reputation as a top-tier quarterback heading into the 2026 season.

“There is a great deal of respect in the league for Jalen Hurts, for his intangibles, for his toughness,” Fowler said on 97.5. “He throws a great deep ball, and he does a lot of things well.”

However, Fowler emphasized that “fear in the NFL is currency,” and game-planning against the Eagles centers more on their typically dominant running game that dropped off last season and stopping Saquon Barkley than Hurts’ arm.

On Notice?

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts at mandatory minicamp on June 10, 2026. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

“When you gameplan against the Eagles’ offense, it’s Saquon Barkley and the running game,” Fowler continued. “That is not to diminish Hurts. But he doesn’t have the same fear factor as the top guys.”

Fowler was mildly surprised at how low Hurts ranked in some eyes but the league moves quickly and two consecutive years of passing troubles in the NFL is going to be viewed as significant.

“In the simplest form, the Eagles were in the bottom third in passing offense the last two years. It is hard to have a top 12, even a top 15 QB, with that metric,” said Fowler. 

The comments paint a snapshot of Hurts’ standing in July of 2026 rather than a reflection of his career accomplishments, something fans tend to lean on.

In some ways, the Eagles echoed the league's thinking by their actions this offseason, first shifting offensive schemes with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to help Hurts and the offense become more efficient, and then playing the waiting game rather than being proactive on another extension for the soon-to-be sixth-year starter.

From this morning's Birds 365: #Eagles #NFL pic.twitter.com/yo1rOTDgaq

— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) July 13, 2026

It's fine to dispute where Hurts is ranked but, like it or not, this is the way the QB1 is viewed around the NFL by the power brokers in the industry and based of the last two seasons, it's a reasonable assessment to have even for those inside the Jefferson health Training Complex.