Eagles Rumors: Jalen Hurts 'Undoubtedly' Viewed as Franchise QB by Teammates

Philadelphia Eagles players seem to have rallied around Jalen Hurts as the team's franchise star, even if the coaching staff has yet to officially place that label on the second-year quarterback, according to ESPN's Jordan Schultz. 

While Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni holds off on naming his Week 1 starter, Hurts continues to look like the team's future under center. 

The Oklahoma product completed three of seven pass attempts for 54 yards in the first two series against the Pittsburgh Steelers in last Thursday's preseason opener.

"I thought he handled it well," Sirianni told reporters after the Eagles' 24-16 preseason loss. "He made a really good check and great throw to Dallas [Goedert] for a big play. He saw what defense was coming and checked the play. A ton of credit to him for that and making a perfect throw there. I thought he went with where we wanted the ball to go versus the defenses they were running. He had a couple drops in there, so I was really pleased with him."

The hold-up in naming Hurts the starter seems trivial at this point. 

Hurts led the Eagles in their final four games last season, passing for 919 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 272 yards on 46 carries with another three scores.

That helped convince Philadelphia to move on from Carson Wentz during the offseason as part of a total regime change, yet Sirianni has been adamant that he wants the second-year pro to go out and win the job in camp.

“There’s just no rush there on having to do that,” Sirianni said on Aug. 5. “We just want [Hurts] to continue to impress and show like he has. We’re just not there yet.”

The rest of his roster may feel otherwise, per Schultz. With two preseason games to go—and only Joe Flacco and Nick Mullens behind Hurts on the depth chart—it's clear who the Eagles believe holds the key to the future, even if the coaching staff isn't ready to admit it yet.