Is Jalen Hurts underrated in 2022?

By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (who tossed 3,144 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to 9 interceptions in 2021) has a chip on his shoulder this off-season after Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mopped the floor against the Eagles in the recent NFC Wildcard round. Hurts gained a shiny new toy in A.J. Brown (who has 2,995 yards and 24 TDs in his three seasons) – as Brown and DeVonta Smith are unequivocally the best WR tandem in the NFC East.

Hurts also has the very best offensive line in the NFL (as Philly showcases Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson). The Eagles OL was a vital reason why Jalen Hurts was able to rush for 784 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns last season.

With that enunciated, I believe that the third-year Eagles QB is honestly underrated entering the 2022 season. Marcus Mosher from The Game Day pegged him as the 22nd best QB in the NFL (behind Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Trevor Lawrence). PFF slated him as the third-best QB in their Tier D QB group (after Daniel Jones). Not only have the previously mentioned signal-callers been undoubtedly less impressive than young Hurts in recent memory, but I love the direction with Hurts.

Hurts may be a less talented passing version of Josh Allen or even Kyler Murray at the moment, but he should absolutely blossom in his junior season. Hurts will be sharper in Nick Sirianni’s scheme, Brown will be big-play waiting to happen, and it shouldn’t be underestimated the growth that DeVonta Smith should take in his sophomore season. It should also be noted that the Eagles dual-threat QB isn’t unfamiliar with proving his doubters wrong.