Changes Coming To Eagles QB Room?

This offseason, though things haven’t progressed far enough to threaten Hurts role as a starter this year, questions and concerns have been raised that could result in a number of changes to Philadelphia’s handling of the quarterback position. A joint report from ESPN’s Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler in early April revealed that some blame for the team’s offensive struggles, though spread to several factors, is being placed on Hurts’ shoulders.

Specifically, sources with the team seem to indicate that Hurts’ unwillingness to diversify the offensive scheme has hamstrung the offense from progressing into something more. Pushing back on ideas as simple as going under center more, Hurts has been reluctant to rely on his arm in some zone-coverage situations and will “(divert) from the game plan and (change) playcalls to what some feel is an excessive degree.” It’s limited the team’s passing offense from progressing into a more complete passing attack and forced the unit to rely on the legs of star running back Saquon Barkley.

In the face of some recent struggles and losses, Hurts has been able to maintain a cool head, a useful attribute when one is in the heat of battle but one that can come off another way when the season is over. Sources in the building claim that some teammates read Hurts’ demeanor as “poor body language” or a sign that he’s “not always bought in” and “not the most coachable.” It’s something players are reportedly noticing, and now that it’s been made public, it’s become something he will need to actively work on.

Some of the blame that gets shifted off of Hurts goes to the lack of consistent coaching around him throughout his tenure in Philadelphia. Since taking over the starting job, Hurts has had five offensive coordinators in six seasons. The only season in which Hurts saw any consistency was when Shane Steichen got to be his play-caller for a second year in 2022. That season saw Hurts win 14 of his 15 starts and finish second in MVP voting, losing the award to the. quarterback of the team that would defeat them in the Super Bowl that year.

Steichen left the team for a head coaching opportunity, and his successor, Brian Johnson, was fired when the team lost five of their last six games following a 10-1 start and lost their first playoff game. Kellen Moore found more success in Philadelphia, leading the team to its second Super Bowl victory, but it required him to implement some new offensive concepts. Per McManus and Fowler, sources with the team “described the relationship between Moore and Hurts…as ‘tense’ at times,” but the two were able to find compromise as Hurts agreed to run some plays with more pre-snap motions and shifts.

Moore’s successor, Kevin Patullo, was fired after his only year with the team saw the offense take a major step backwards. While Patullo was “well-liked and respected in the building,” players reportedly “lost faith” in the play-caller. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has been tasked with un-sticking his unit. According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, Hurts will be expected to make quite a few more compromises in Mannion’s attempts to ‘blend’ the offense, and that will likely mean more work under center for the six-year veteran

Another change in the QB room could concern the number of players in the room. Per Geoff Mosher of the PhillyVoice, “the Eagles are keeping four quarterbacks no matter what” in 2026. Already returning backup Tanner McKee alongside Hurts, the team traded for veteran backup Andy Dalton and drafted North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in the fifth-round. Initially, it was thought that Dalton was being brought in to be an overqualified QB3, but Berman noted that Dalton had been taking some QB2 reps over McKee in Organized Team Activities.

2026 will be a big season for Hurts as it appears more scrutinous eyes will be on him moving forward. Per McManus and Fowler, “there are no signs” that Hurts and the Eagles have begun working towards a new contract extension. Though there’s still plenty of time before that becomes a priority, there’s no much guaranteed money left on Hurts’ contract past this year. The combination of an uncertain financial future and increased bodies in the position room behind him may just be enough to push Hurts to make the necessary changes to jump start the Eagles offense moving forward.