NFL insider says Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni relationship 'still a work in progress'

On the surface, the Philadelphia Eagles' 2023 campaign was on track for a storybook ending. Through 11 games, the Eagles were 10-1 with an impressive array of victories. The Eagles won blowouts, neck-and-neck slugfests, and every manner of game in between. That is the true sign of a contender — when you can win every type of game and neutralize every type of opponent.

And then, it all came crashing down. Philadelphia finished the regular season on a 1-5 skid. The Dallas Cowboys took first place in the NFC East, which relegated the Eagles to a Wild Card matchup with the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philadelphia crushed Tampa in every metric, the roster was vastly superior on paper, and it was the Bucs who controlled that game from the opening kickoff.

A disappointing first-round exit left the Eagles swimming in uncertainty. One year removed from a Super Bowl appearance, Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat. There was a real sense that Philadelphia might change coaches and reshape the locker room.

Instead, upper management took the middle road between a complete reset and the status quo. Sirianni remains, but two new coordinators take over play-calling duties. Kellen Moore arrives highly lauded for his offensive vision after stints with the Chargers and Cowboys. Vic Fangio left the sunny shores of Miami to lead the Eagles' defense back to respectability.

Both are great coordinators. Both should, ideally, have free rein to implement their own schemes and work directly with players. Sirianni needs to look in the mirror, reflect on the failures of last season, and work hard to regain the trust of his locker room.

It starts, of course, with the quarterback. Sirianni is an offensive guy, and there's no successful coach that doesn't get along with his quarterback. Well, normally. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that relationship is a "work in progress."

"We’ve seen Jalen Hurts on the sideline with Nick Sirianni, and they were not going at one another. But there is definitely a difference in personality. The way I would describe it: The relationship is still a work in progress. Last year there was some disconnect between them, due to their personalities. Nick, we’ve seen, is a very emotional guy. Jalen is a very private guy. They are different human beings, which is fine. You don’t all have to be the same, but you do have to be on the same page when it comes to what you want to do on offense."

Eagles' Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts still working to get on same page

This probably isn't the news optimistic Eagles fans were looking for as training camp approaches. It's not necessarily an explosive revelation — we all knew Hurts and Sirianni were operating on different wavelengths last season — but all the same, with so much hype surrounding this team with new coordinators and a revamped roster, nobody wants to think about Hurts and Siranni butting heads.

What clearly needs to happen is for Sirianni to take his foot off the gas pedal a bit. Remove his hand from the steering wheel. Jalen Hurts is a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level quarterback. He deserves his two cents in the offense. As Russini outlines, last season's OC Brian Johnson, a favorite of Hurts, was little more than a figurehead on the Eagles staff. It was Sirianni's offense through and through, which meant a run-first approach that axed far too many intermediate passing routes and led to Hurts' decrease in volume and efficiency.

First and foremost, the Eagles need to run Kellen Moore's offense next season. Sirianni will have his say, as every head coach does, but his focus should be much broader. As a head coach's focus should be. Also, Hurts needs to have his say in the proceedings. Let your all-world, dual-threat athlete call a few plays at the line of scrimmage and influence the team's approach. Hurts has earned that right.

On paper, the Eagles are as talented as any team in football. We know the defense is capable of reaching absurd heights when the screws are tightened. Between Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the newly signed Saquon Barkley, the Eagles have plenty of firepower behind their impenetrable O-line. This team should, barring an encore of last season's inexplicable dysfunction, push for a Super Bowl appearance. No team is better equipped to challenge San Francisco in the NFC. On paper.

Football isn't played on paper, though, and that is where the Eagles ran into problems last season. We shall see if times have changed, or if Siranni is a lame duck in Eagles green.