Eagles fans' worst Jalen Hurts fears are coming to life in training camp

Everything Philadelphia Eagles fans feared about the 2026 season might already be coming to fruition. OK, add this to the list of training camp overreactions, but also keep in mind the reality of the situation. Jalen Hurts has struggled for much of the start of training camp before finally turning things around on day four. Unfortunately that rebound was short-lived after he struggled again on Tuesday: Hurts was just 6-for-19 with an interception and no touchdowns in the second day of padded practice.

Eagles fans have every reason to feel alarmed by Hurts’ struggles given the way he's regressed over the last couple of yeras and how much he has riding on this season. With a new OC in Sean Mannion, Philly needs to evidence that Hurts can be a franchise guy moving forward — they can’t afford to waive him or release him or honestly even trade him, so they’re stuck with him and his contract. They needed cause for optimism that he could work in a more modern system, but right now they aren’t getting it. Hopefully it’s just growing pains with a new offensive staff and some new weapons and nothing more. 

Jalen Hurts no longer gets the benefit of the doubt with a coaching new staff

It’s easy to say that Hurts deserves some slack dealing with a new offensive scheme and new staff, but he’s past that point in his career. He’s no longer a young quarterback getting acclimated to the NFL. He’s a veteran with a $30+ million cap hit who's won a Super Bowl MVP, meaning that the expectations are the same regardless of who his coach is.

The problem with that is he’s not necessarily open to a lot of change from what’s worked in the past. When Kellen Moore took over back in 2024, Hurts didn’t take too kindly to some of the wrinkles Moore tried to introduce. Philly conceded in hiring Kevin Patullo after Moore moved on, only to watch the offense fall apart down the stretch of last season.

This year, the Eagles brought in Sean Mannion from Green Bay, and while it’s still early, signs are showing that Hurts is once again struggling to get in sync with a coaching staff asking a bit more of him. He will have time to grow with this offense; it’s just been five days of training camp so far. That said, it’s not a good sign when problems are already starting to arise and consistency becomes an issue.

Why Jalen Hurts isn’t completely to blame for lackluster start to Eagles camp

For what it’s worth, Hurts’ early struggles are less about how he’s playing and. more about truly getting acclimated. Both of his top targets in DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon are dealing with hamstring problems that have caused them to miss some time within the first official week of camp. That’s not an excuse, but it’s hard to get in sync with guys when they aren’t there. You also have to remember that the team is currently almost twice the size it will be in Week 1. Give it time before we slander Hurts more than we should. 

Philly fans are impatient, so I can understand wanting better from your highly paid starting quarterback. But there are at least 10 other teams in the NFL that would rather have your quarterback problem than theirs. Think of training camp as the acclimation period for Hurts and this new-look offense. If some of these same kinks aren’t worked out over the next few weeks and through the early part of preseason, then we can revisit. Eagles fans are right to be frustrated with how Hurts has looked, but hold your feelings until at least Week 1 before completely shutting Hurts out. 

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