The Philadelphia Eagles are moving at a faster pace than other franchises as they move into their sixth and last OTA practice, while other teams are still on their second or third session. Thursday’s session, which was open to the media, gave us a glimpse of their preparation; however, their two QBs, Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett, didn’t come out smelling like roses.
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As per CBS Sports, the Eagles conducted 7-on-7 drills and one 11-on-11 segment, although not everyone participated in the voluntary sessions. Star QB Jalen Hurts had a frustrating outing, throwing three picks to Zack Baun and Isaiah Rodgers. He was almost picked off on multiple occasions by Kelee Ringo and Avonte Maddox.
AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert were two players Jalen mostly targeted as he focused on making most of his throws in the middle of the field, something he was ranked dead last on last season.
Notably, the star QB succumbed to many incompletions during Thursday’s OTA, as receivers started dropping passes left and right. Hurts also overthrew the ball on more than one occasion. He did, however, complete a few successful passes to Brown, despite AJ being tightly covered by Avonte Maddox and Keele Ringo.
Pickett didn’t have a good day either, throwing a pick and missing an open target on multiple occasions. However, he did make a couple of good 20-yard and 25-yard throws to John Ross and Albert Okwuegbunam, respectively.
Hurts will most likely remain a starter despite mediocre performances at the end of the season. But he will be backed up by Pickett, Tanner McKee, and Will Grier. Marcus Mariota stepped in for a few snaps last season when Jalen suffered an injury. If Hurt’s injury resurfaces, Pickett might get some game time.
Nevertheless, the newly signed RB Saquon Barkley will be hoping to not go down at the one-yard line next season, as the Eagles plan to carry on their Brotherly Shove.
Hurts Talks About the “Brotherly Shove”
Jalen Hurts found himself in the end zone multiple times last season. Whenever it was time to gain a yard—a yard that would gain them six points—the Offensive Line found themselves pushing their QB toward the finish line. So during a recent Q&A, Hurts was asked by a fan what it feels like to be in the middle of the “Brotherly Shove,” something any other team in the NFL can replicate.
Jalen asserted that it gets chaotic sometimes, but he knows when he has to use his feet. “It gets, uh, it gets chaotic, sometimes. But (I) just run my feet,” the Eagles QB said.
However, how well the club executes the “Shove” this season remains to be seen, especially after Jason Kelce’s retirement. The Eagles’ Center was a big part of the trick play, usually finding himself under the pile.
The Eagles saw a downturn in the 2nd half of the 2023 season, losing 5 out of the last 6 games. They lost the division to the Cowboys and bowed out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round, despite coming close to winning the Super Bowl a year before. While too much emphasis shouldn’t be placed on OTAs, the picture doesn’t look good.
They would be hoping that Hurts weeds out all the deficiencies in his game before the season starts. The former Bama QB fumbled the ball 9 times last season. He and his Eagles will open the upcoming season in Brazil against the Packers.
