The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly want star quarterback Jalen Hurts to make a change in his leadership style.
“The team has been patient with Hurts, even though they awarded him with a $255 million contract in the offseason. He may just be experiencing a few bumps, but there is some internal concern about the stoic 25-year-old,” Jeff McLane wrote.
“The Eagles want their franchise quarterback to be authentic, but they also want him to open himself up a little more in the locker room and have a more outward leadership style when it’s needed during difficult stretches, several team sources close to the situation said.”
The quarterback — who is in his fourth season with Philadelphia after the team selected him with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — has appeared in all 14 of the Eagles’ regular-season games thus far and has racked up 3,335 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns and 159 first downs passing.
Hurts has put up impressive rushing numbers for the Eagles as well during the 2023 regular season. He’s run for 542 yards, 14 touchdowns and 60 first downs. Additionally, he is averaging 38.7 rushing yards per game.
The 25-year-old has helped lead Philadelphia to an impressive 10-4 record, which is tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the best record in the NFC East. The San Francisco 49ers — who are 11-3 — are the sole team in the entire NFC with a better record than the Eagles at this juncture.
Hurts didn’t play well in the team’s most recent game against the Seattle Seahawks back on Dec. 18, however. He ended up with 143 passing yards and two interceptions compared to zero touchdowns in a game the Eagles went on to lose by three points.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock outplayed Hurts, as the former finished with 208 passing yards and one passing touchdown while completing 22 of his 33 pass attempts during the game.
The defeat marked the Eagles’ third road loss of the season to this point. The team boasts a 5-3 road record and 5-1 home record.
Philadelphia will hope to snap its three-game losing streak when the team takes on the New York Giants at home on Dec. 25. The Giants are 5-9 on the season and lost to the New Orleans Saints by a final score of 24-6 on Dec. 17.
It remains to be seen if Hurts will indeed change his leadership style and open himself up to his teammates a bit more, but perhaps doing so would help the Eagles stem the tide and get back in the win column.
