What Eagles' Jalen Hurts worked on as reigning Super Bowl MVP

Quarterback Jalen Hurts silenced critics and doubters when he earned Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award honors for guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to a dominant 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs this past February.

For an article published on Wednesday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated touched upon Hurts' offseason attempts to improve after the 27-year-old notched the biggest victory of his career. 

"One area he’s worked on is getting quicker with his footwork so that he can get through his progressions faster," Breer said about Hurts. "With a veteran offense around him, health permitting, the biggest question on offense might boil down to the (offensive coordinator) spot, with Kevin Patullo the fourth guy to hold that position in Philly in as many years."

The Eagles promoted Patullo from his position as passing game coordinator after Kellen Moore left the club to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Hurts enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Moore after head coach Nick Sirianni embraced more of a CEO-type/global role.

"Last year, working with Moore, there were situational areas where Patullo had the responsibility, which, the Eagles hope, was good on-the-job training for this year," Breer continued. "He was also, for what it’s worth, leaned on in helping Moore to marry his offensive scheme to what the Eagles already were doing. So it’s a logical hire, and one the Eagles had thoroughly prepared Patullo for. Now he has to do it."

As for Hurts' needed development, wide receiver A.J. Brown seemed to criticize his QB1 after Hurts passed for just 108 yards in Philadelphia's 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers last December. Hurts then tallied 131 passing yards against the Green Bay Packers before he passed for 128 yards versus the Los Angeles Rams during the postseason tournament. 

Of course, Sirianni and Co. cared little about such stats after Hurts became the first quarterback since Joe Montana (1985) to record two-plus passing touchdowns, 50-plus rushing yards and a rushing score in a Super Bowl. That said, some outsiders still view Hurts as a game manager and as a "tush push merchant."

Back on July 14, Jeremy Fowler revealed that league executives, coaches and scouts surveyed by ESPN ranked Hurts as the ninth-best quarterback in the NFL heading into the 2025 campaign. Hurts' first opportunity to respond to such takes will come when the Eagles open the upcoming regular season with a prime-time home game versus the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4.