Jalen Hurts takes over after handing over to Jason Kelce

PHILADELPHIA –Jalen Hurts says he’s been “told not to worry about a lot of things” in pass protection in past seasons because of the presence of center Jason Kelce and that his eagerness to learn has been “shut down” as following, but TheEagles quarterbacks said things are changing now that he has more control at the line of scrimmage.

“I think ultimately when you look at this upcoming season and what you’ve 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, I was told not to worry about a lot of things. And so my eagerness to learn over the years has been kind of stymied because of who I’ve had, but now times are different and I’m excited about that journey and that opportunity.”

Kelce served as the maestro up front for 13 seasons in Philadelphia. He took most of the responsibility off the quarterbacks, including Hurts, when it came to spotting blitzes and setting protections.

With Kelce retiring this offseason, making room for Cam Jurgens, a third-year player out of Nebraska, Hurts has been open about his desire to take on more command.

“It was a role I was waiting for,” Hurts said. “I know we had a respected, Hall of Fame guy who did that, and now (they have) the opportunity to do so. It’s something I’ve wanted and I think that’s the way it should be.”

In his interview with WIP, Hurts praised Jurgens for doing “a really good job of taking on that role” 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 ninth for 30th in touchdown rate (2.7%). That was a big part of why the offense fell apart in a big way as Philadelphia limped to a 1-6 finish after 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 very 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 in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.