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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts says he was “told not to worry about a lot of things” with respect to pass protections in past seasons because of the presence of center Jason Kelce and that his eagerness to learn was “halted” as a result, but the Eagles quarterback said things are changing now that he has more control at the line of scrimmage.
“I think in the end when you look at this upcoming season and what you have seen in years past, it’s just different autonomy in different places,” Hurts told 94.1 WIP on Thursday. “We had a great player in Jason Kelce who took on a lot of responsibility, and as a result of that I was told not to worry about a lot of things. And so my eagerness to learn over the years kind of was halted because of who we had, but now times are different and I’m excited for that journey and this opportunity.”
Kelce served as the maestro up front for 13 seasons in Philadelphia. He took the bulk of the responsibility off the quarterbacks, including Hurts, when it came to identifying blitzes and setting protections.
With Kelce retiring this offseason, giving way to Cam Jurgens, a third-year player out of Nebraska, Hurts has been open about his desire to assume more command.
“It’s been a role that I’ve been waiting on,” Hurts said. “I know we’ve had a well-respected, Hall of Fame guy who’s been doing that, and now we [have] the opportunity to do that. It’s something I’ve been wanting, and I think that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
In his interview with 94.1 WIP, Hurts praised Jurgens for doing a “really good job in just taking that role on” in leading the offensive line.
The Eagles struggled against the blitz last season. Hurts threw the most interceptions in the NFL against the blitz in 2023 (8) and went from ninth to 30th in touchdown rate (2.7%). That was a big part of the reason why the offense fell off down the stretch as Philadelphia limped to a 1-6 finish following a 10-1 start.
Hurts, now in his fifth year in the pros, has shown a steady hand in new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s system this summer. He was highly efficient, throwing just one interception during training camp, and looked smooth with his checks at the line of scrimmage. The real test will come in the regular season starting Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.