Eagles' Jalen Hurts' Mentality Is 'Like a Coach on the Field', HC Nick Sirianni Says

The Philadelphia Eagles are betting on quarterback Jalen Hurts' ability to replicate his breakout 2022 campaign this fall.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni thinks Hurts' understanding of the game will help with that mission, per NBC Sports' Michael David Smith.

"I think he's operating at a very high level within the offense, understanding more so how we do things, why we do things, and he's really like a coach on the field with those things," Sirianni said. "Our conversations in the quarterback room just keep getting deeper and deeper as far as how we dissect all the things we're doing."

Through four practices at Eagles training camp, Hurts completed 50 of 60 passes for four touchdowns with no interceptions, per CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr. Philadelphia will hope that means Hurts is ready to continue throwing at last season's 66.5 pass completion rate in Week 1.

Sirianni went on to say he has been "pleased" with Hurts' performance throughout training camp.

"I see him continuing to get better... I just see continued improvement and continued consistency with Jalen," Sirianni said.

The Eagles head coach shared more praise of the franchise's quarterback Thursday on the Up & Adams Show.

"He likes to be pushed and I think that's a really unique thing," Sirianni said. "When one of your best players on your team wants to be coached hard and craves to be coached hard, that's contagious."

Hurts, who finished the 2022 campaign as runner-up for league MVP behind the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, received high praise from his coach all last season. After Hurts led the Eagles to an NFC divisional round win over the New York Giants in January, Sirianni compared Hurts' leadership to Michael Jordan's.

Following the Eagles' painful 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, NFL.com's Judy Battista called Hurts "the unquestioned leader of the Eagles."

That's a role Hurts has been building up to ever since he was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 draft. Even back when he was buried in the quarterback depth chart behind Carson Wentz, "players gravitated toward him because Hurts is a natural leader," NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro reported in September.

This leadership played a role in taking the Eagles to the Super Bowl last fall for the first time since the team's 2017 title. Philadelphia sports fans hoping for another run at the championship in 2023 should see Sirianni's takes on Hurts' improvement as an excellent sign.