Entering Week 13, it’s unclear whether Jalen Hurts will be the man under center for the Eagles matchup with the Jets.
He suffered an ankle injury during the team’s loss to the Giants, and while he finished that contest, giving him two weeks of rest (the Eagles enter their bye week after this week) might make sense. Especially when you consider how often Hurts uses his legs to facilitate the offense.
If Hurts is unable to go, Gardner Minshew will get his first start as a Philadelphia Eagle.
Regardless of where you are on the Hurts conversation, getting the opportunity to see what Sirianni’s offense looks like with a more traditional quarterback is intriguing.
During his 20 starts as a Jacksonville Jaguar, Minshew posted a respectable stat line. He completed 63% of his passes, while throwing for 5,530 yards along with 37 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. Pro Football Focus handed him an overall grade of 69.05 over that two year span.
Minshew has started four more games than Hurts has in their respective careers, and it’s pretty clear that Minshew is the more refined passer of the two. In 16 starts, Hurts has completed 56% of his passes, while throwing for 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Hurts’ passing yards don’t even come close to Minshew’s. He would have to throw for 2,034 yards in his next four starts to reach Minshew’s 5,530 mark.
Just to drive the point home even further, Minshew has made 34 big time throws during is career, according to PFF. Hurts has made 21.
As far as what Sirianni’s offense might look like with Minshew under center, the formula for success shouldn’t change all that much. The Eagles offense is at its best when they’re running the football. And while Hurts does contribute to that success, the Eagles have proven that they can run the ball just as effectively when they turn around and hand it to a back, rather than running a read option play.
With a more traditional signal caller, we should expect a more traditional offensive approach. Minshew isn’t a prototypical pocket passer. He certainly has some mobility in his game, but his legs don’t define his ability. Throughout his time in Jacksonville, Minshew would routinely use his pocket mobility to find open receivers down field.
We saw just how anemic the Eagles passing attack can be last week against the Giants. And at the end of the day, Hurts was the main culprit. Minshew isn’t going to be the long-term answer at quarterback, but there’s no denying he has the ability to uplift the team’s passing attack right now.
The identity of the Eagles offense won’t change with Minshew at the helm, but the offense may ultimately be more efficient with a capable arm under center. Only time will tell.