Fansided

3 ways Jalen Hurts is an immediate upgrade over Carson Wentz for Eagles

By Matt Lombardo

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up as Carson Wentz #11. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 13: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up as Carson Wentz #11. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) /

Mobility

Mobility and his ability to extend plays with his legs was one of the attributes of Wentz’s skill-set that propelled him to an MVP caliber season in 2017, but seemed to slowly diminish in the three years since he tore his ACL in Week 14 that season.

After rushing for 449 yards and two touchdowns his first two seasons, Wentz totaled just 612 rushing yards and six touchdowns from 2018-2020.

This is an area where Hurts’ skill-set has a chance to shape the Eagles’ offense in a similar fashion to how the Baltimore Ravens built an offense around Lamar Jackson’s mobility and the Buffalo Bills around Josh Allen’s — even if he has much work to do as a thrower.

Hurts, in just 14 games, rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns last season.

To further that point, Wentz was sacked 50 times in the first 13 weeks of the season, while Hurts was only sacked 10 times after he became a full-time starter.

“He’s a work in progress,” a former NFL general manager tells FanSided. “He’s not an NFL drop back passer at this point, but he’s obviously an above average athlete for the position.”