The Philadelphia Eagles have made a concerted effort this offseason — build around Jalen Hurts and give him every opportunity to solidify his status as the team’s franchise quarterback.
Looking around the NFL, it’s hard to find a better supporting cast of weapons. Hurts has a top-5 offensive line blocking for him, a potentially elite quo of wideouts in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, a budding star in tight end Dallas Goedert, and the No. 1 rushing attack from 2021 behind him. Barring a rash of injuries, Hurts has no excuses heading into the 2022 season.
Focusing in on the pass catchers specifically, it’s been awhile since any Eagles quarterback has had weapons of this caliber. Even during the Super Bowl run in 2017, the Eagles didn’t have an elite receiving corps.
A.J. Brown has been a top tier wideout since he entered the league in 2019. Per Pro Football Focus, Brown has posted an offensive grade of 91.0 during that time, third-highest among 101 qualifying receivers. He’s one of the most complete receivers in the game. Whether you want to send him deep or have him attack the middle of the field, Brown can do it all. Tennessee’s offense was completely different whenever Brown left the field. Their passing play efficiency took a major dip when Brown was sidelined, dropping from an excellent 0.15 EPA (expected points added) per pass play, to an abysmal -0.06 EPA per pass play.
Very few teams have two wide receivers who can do it all, but the Eagles are one of them.
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Along with two stud wideouts, tight end Dallas Goedert has proven to be an elite player in his own right. Goedert was the second-highest graded tight end in football last season, per PFF, posting an overall grade of 90.7 with a receiving grade of 91.1. Goedert has ranked inside the top-10 at his position in each of his four seasons according to PFF. Entering his first full season as the clear-cut TE1, his production should only increase from here on out.
If having three top tier pass catchers wasn’t enough, the Eagles also have one of the best offensive lines in football. Three of the team’s offensive lineman ranked inside the top-10 at their respective positions on PFF, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata. Kelce and Mailata ranked inside the top-3. Landon Dickerson was one of the best rookie offensive lineman in the league last year and should only get better, and with Isaac Seumalo set to return at full health this season to replace Brandon Brooks at right guard, the Eagles don’t have a single weakness along their line.
To top things off, the Eagles were far and away the best rushing offensive in football last season, averaging 159.7 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per attempt. With essentially every starter from the offensive line and backfield returning in 2022, their rushing attack should be just as lethal.
You simply can’t ask for more as a quarterback.
Hurts has his moments in 2021, but they were few and far between. The Eagles won games by running the football and feasting on basement dwelling offenses. They still managed to win nine games when it was all said and done, but I don’t think any Eagles fans needs a reminder of just how poorly Hurts and tam performed when they faced a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the first round of the playoffs.
This year could be different. The Eagles on paper should be a contender in 2022. But as is the case with every team that has Super Bowl aspirations, it all comes down to quarterback play when it matters most. Hurts has everything he needs to succeed in 2022 and it’ll be up to him to get it done.