Jalen Hurts had his most encouraging performance of the summer during Friday night's preseason game against the Jets. Hurts was 6/6 with 80 passing yards, a touchdown and a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. The Eagles' QB1, however, didn't quite reach that level of excellence in Sunday morning's training camp practice. It was a rough start to the day for Hurts, but he improved a bit as practice continued on, carving out a day that I'd consider a "stock neutral" outing.
Hurts looked DeVonta Smith's way early and often, as the second-year wideout got in rhythm after missing time this summer with a groin injury, one that kept him out of the Birds' season opener. For all that I've written about Hurts force-feeding A.J. Brown the ball this camp, it was Smith who was constantly getting the ball on Sunday.
As I always do for practice, here's a play-by-play breakdown of Hurts' first-team reps...
11-on-11s from the offense's own 45-yard line:
• Play 1: Without hyperbole, this was Hurts' worst throw of camp. I guess it's a positive he got it out of the way early. He was look for Smith (duh) and threw it about six yards short of him, so short that it off the back of Avonte Maddox's leg as he was sticking Smith. Bad.
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• Play 2: Hurts held onto the ball for a while, maybe too long given that Jordan Davis "sacked" him. Hurts moved away from the contact anyway and rolled right to hit A.J. Brown. It was a high throw, but Brown was able to leap and grab it. This doesn't count as a pass in my stats because it was certainly a "sack."
• Play 3: Hurts had Quez Watkins open deep down the seam, but the ball was way underthrown. Darius Slay nearly picked off, as Watkins was forced to play defensive back on the play and try to break it up.
• Play 4: It's a quick out to Smith. The duo finally connect.
• Play 5: Same as Play 4. The QB and receiver's rapport is building back up.
• Play 6: Hurts had Jalen Reagor going towards the the end zone from the right slot, but it's another pass that's completely undethrown. Much like the Watkins throw, it should've been a "touchdown."
That was a bad series from Hurts, the worst I've seen from him all summer. Positive news for Eagles fans: I value his preseason play way more than that and Hurts was decent-to-good the remainder of the day.
Time for 1-on-1s from the 40-yard line going in. I've talked with WIP's Eliot Shorr-Parks about how we're respectively charting and grading Hurts' training camp performances. He thinks it's outrageous I count 1-on-1 play, but my rationale is that if it's coming in the middle of practice between 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 work, it's part of the practice.
• Play 7: Hurts misses Smith going deep down the right sideline.
• Play 8: Zach Pascal alert! Hurts targets Pascal to his left. Pascal gets the benefit of the doubt as a veteran to the refs here with his oh-so-slight push-off against cornerback Zech McPhearson before hauling it in. Pascal is such a solid vet presence and it's clear that he's giving the team's younger defensive backs quality reps whenever he's out there.
• Play 9: Reagor has a big play here. He makes a great catch along the right sideline and uses his body to get physical with the corner to make a play on the ball. Reagor's actually done quite well for himself in these 1-on-1 reps this summer. He uses his strength to his advantage here, something that he's struggled with in the regular season in his short career.
• Play 10: Quick slant over the middle to Smith. Smooth.
• Play 11: Same slant, but it goes to Pascal.
• Play 12: Here's a play that Eagles fans will want to read while forgetting Hurts' early struggles: Hurts hits Smith in stride on a go route for a deep "touchdown" against James Bradberry. Bradberry has had a great camp and has frequently bested Smith, but Smith got him on this one.
Back to 11-on-11s from the 50-yard line:
• Play 13: The Eagles go RPO. Hurts has plenty of time to throw the ball and hits Kenny Gainwell in the flat.
• Play 14: It's a would-be "sack" from Josh Sweat. I can't blame Hurts for this like some of his "sacks" in camp where he holds onto the ball entirely too long. Sweat was just so quick off the snap and was immediately in Hurts' grill.
• Play 15: Smith runs a comeback route here about 15 yards down field, but he drops the pass from Hurts. Tight coverage there from the corner. Smith looked impressive today, but, hey, it is his first day back in a while. There can be rust. Smith had just two drops on 104 targets in 2021 (via pro-football-reference). Eagles fans shouldn't worry there.
• Play 16: Read option to Jason Huntley, but the handoff from Hurts to Huntley is fumbled.
• Play 17: The wildest play of the day: Hurts throws the ball high in double coverage to Smith with McPhearson and Avonte Maddox on him. The ball sails in between the two outstretched defenders and Smith rises to nab it. Incredible body control. This is around the 30-yard line. There was no one in front of Smith after he gained control of the ball. That's enough for me to call it a "touchdown." I honestly thought the pass was going to get picked, but it found its way into Smith's hands. Props to No. 1 and No. 6 on that one.
The first 7-on-7 action on Sunday, from the 40-yard line going in:
• Play 18: Quick underneath throw to Dallas Goedert for a gain of five-or-so yards.
• Play 19: Same play to Goedert, but he picks up about 10 on this sit route.
• Play 20: Pick up of 15-ish yards on the throw from Hurts to Brown, who slanted from the left across the middle. Nice zip on the ball from QB1. That's the formula that's given Hurts success in camp. A nice balancing act this fall that gets both Brown and Smith the ball would be such a plus for this offense. That's some 🔥 analysis right there.
• Play 21: Hurts holds onto the ball, can't figure out who to throw it to and tucks it and runs. I've said this all summer: 7-on-7s are inherently structured for the passing offense to succeed. Can't be running the ball here. Find the open man.
• Play 22: Silky slant route from Smith here and Hurts puts the ball right where it needs to be. There was a lot of green in front of Smith. It could've been a "touchdown," but I'm not giving it that billing. I'd have no qualms if someone did though.
The Eagles do a team drill I haven't seen from this summer, working with the offense backed up at their own one-yard line in 11-on-11s:
• Play 23: Six-yard sit route to Smith.
• Play 24: Hurts goes through his progressions, but doesn't find anyone. He hits Gainwell in the flat to his left, but a defender strips the running back and the defense recovers the ball. That's the end for the first team for that specific drive because of the turnover.
After the backup offense gets some work, the first team heads back out there from the offense's own one-yard line:
• Play 25: Huntley had some nice burst here up the gut. It was an uneven preseason game for him on Friday. He had a touchdown, but really struggled running through contact, getting physically overwhelmed. Then he has a nice kick return and leaves fans wondering if he can be a change-of-pace guy in the backfield and a key returner. The preseason game in Cleveland against the Browns next Sunday will be huge for his chances of making the 53-man roster.
• Play 26: The Birds go screen right to Smith, but Bradberry immediately sniffs it out and wraps up the receiver.
• Play 27: Hurts targets Smith on a slant route, but he gets absolutely crushed by T.J. Edwards. I guess it's technically a drop, but I wouldn't hold it against Smith, taking on a big hit like that in practice.
Back to normal 11-on-11 work from the team's own 40 to finish up the day:
• Play 28: Read option run for Gainwell in the 'B' gap.
• Play 29: Another read option handoff that sees Gainwell running up the middle.
• Play 30: Hurts finds Huntley for a dump off to his right.
• Play 31: Hurts began his practice on a terrible note and finished on a nice one! It's a deep ball down the left sideline to Watkins, who comes down with the ball before McPhearson pushes him out at the two-yard line.
Hurts' "stat line" for the day: 17/23 (73.9 percent), two "touchdowns"
Tough early day for Hurts, but he finished strong. That's better than the inverse in my eyes.
The Eagles return to practice at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday before heading to Cleveland for joint practices with the Browns on Thursday and Friday. Their preseason matchup against the Browns is Sunday, August 21, at 1:00 p.m.
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