Eagles' Jalen Hurts on 1st Career Start: 'You Dream of Opportunities Like This'

Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has been named the starter for Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints in the wake of Carson Wentz's struggles this season, is looking forward to getting his first career NFL start. 

"I've been ready to answer the phone. It rang. I answered," he told reporters. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my parents. My parents found out before I told them. As a kid, you grow up, you dream of opportunities like this."

It has been clear for a few weeks that the 3-8-1 Eagles needed a quarterback change. Wentz, 27, is having his worst season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and an NFL-worst 15 interceptions. He also been sacked a league-high 50 times. 

The need for a change finally came to a head Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Wentz went 6-of-15 for 79 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and had been sacked four times. With him under center, the Eagles fell into a 23-3 hole vs. the Packers.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson turned to Hurts in the third quarter, and the move nearly worked, as he finished 5-of-12 for 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception while taking three sacks. The Eagles cut the deficit to 23-16 before Green Bay scored late in the fourth quarter on an Aaron Jones 77-yard touchdown run.

"We needed a spark," Pederson told reporters after the game. "So I decided to put Jalen in the game."

"We're not where we want to be as an offense," Pederson added Tuesday after announcing that Hurts would start this week. "I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better."

Wentz's time in Philly has been rocky, to say the least. Injuries kept him out of two postseasons and ended his Wild Card Round appearance vs. the Seattle Seahawks last season, and the Eagles famously won a Super Bowl with his backup, Nick Foles, at the helm.

This offseason, the Eagles surprisingly used a second-round pick on Hurts. They now have a legitimate quarterback controversy on their hands, which is especially bad news considering the massive amount of money they owe Wentz in the future. 

The best-case scenario for the Eagles is that Wentz's benching serves as a wake-up call and he re-emerges as a franchise quarterback. If Hurts looks good in the meantime, the Eagles at least will have a competent option at quarterback and a potential trade chip for the future should Wentz win the job back.

But again, that's the best-case scenario. 

It's safe to say the Eagles didn't imagine the 2020 season unfolding this way.