Jalen Hurts throwing far too many interceptions as Eagles revamp their offense

The Philadelphia Eagles are rebuilding their offense around Jalen Hurts, a new coordinator and a receiving corps missing one familiar star. Tuesday’s public practice offered an uncomfortable look at how much work remains before Week 1.

Jalen Hurts intercepted twice during public practice

Hurts threw two interceptions to cornerback Riq Woolen at Lincoln Financial Field, including a pick six that ended a two minute drive. Woolen also jumped a route intended for rookie Makai Lemon earlier in the session.

According to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation, Hurts has now thrown 13 interceptions during training camp. For comparison, he threw 15 across the previous four camps combined.

Practice interceptions disappear the moment everyone leaves the field. Nobody updates the standings, and Philadelphia will not begin the season with a record of 0-1 because Woolen enjoyed himself on a Tuesday night.

Still, the larger trend deserves attention.

Hurts has been asked to learn another version of the Eagles offense under new coordinator Sean Mannion. The scheme reportedly requires greater precision and will feature more snaps from under center. Philadelphia also traded A.J. Brown during the offseason, removing a receiver who produced 5,034 receiving yards and 32 touchdown catches across four seasons with the team.

That is plenty of change for any quarterback, even one with Hurts’ experience.

Turnovers becoming uncomfortable Eagles storyline

Tuesday’s practice was not a complete disaster for Hurts. He connected with Saquon Barkley for a touchdown and delivered scoring passes to Lemon and Hollywood Brown. Hurts also found DeVonta Smith for multiple completions, including one that created considerable yardage after the catch.

Those plays showed what the revamped offense could become. The interceptions showed why Philadelphia cannot assume everything will come together immediately.

Mannion had already acknowledged that Hurts committed multiple turnovers during joint practices against the New England Patriots. The coordinator praised his quarterback’s overall performance but admitted those mistakes required correction.

“We talk about the ball relentlessly,” Mannion said.

That makes the recent interception total harder to dismiss. Philadelphia can tolerate mistakes while installing an offense in August. It cannot allow poor decisions to become a recurring feature once Washington arrives for the season opener.

Hurts has never been a reckless quarterback. He threw only five interceptions during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning 2024 regular season. His total climbed to six last year, but that was hardly cause for panic.

The concern is whether the new scheme is forcing Hurts to hesitate or attempt throws he previously avoided. Timing could also be an issue as he develops chemistry with Lemon, Brown and Dontayvion Wicks.

Eagles still have time to clean up mistakes

Philadelphia hired Mannion to revive an offense that had become stale. More movement, play action and work from under center could help Hurts regain the form that once made him an MVP candidate.

Installing those changes was never going to be spotless. Apparently, Woolen decided to demonstrate that lesson twice in front of more than 45,000 people.

Hurts still produced several impressive throws Tuesday, and camp statistics carry approximately the same lasting value as Monopoly money. Yet 13 interceptions represent a sharp enough increase to watch.

The Eagles have time to fix the mistakes. They just received a rather public reminder that the new offense is not finished yet.