How Eagles’ Kellen Moore plans on getting Jalen Hurts back to playing at an MVP level

Jalen Hurts’ poor performance last season is an understatement.

Coming off an MVP-caliber year with the Philadelphia Eagles, Hurts finished the season nowhere near that level. One of the league’s leading MVP candidates after a 10-1 start, Hurts completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,161 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions for a 77.6 passer rating, 27th in the league. NFL.

The late season period reflected Hurts’ overall numbers, evidenced by his ranking among his peers.

Jalen hurts for 2023 season

So how does new Eagles offensive coordinator – and play caller – Kellen Moore get Hurts back to an MVP level? Fortunately, the student is more than willing to learn.

“I really liked Jalen’s process,” Moore said in his first session with the media on Thursday. “So far, we’ve really been focused on how he processes the game and just the classroom aspect, and we’re starting the on-field process of actually getting on the field and being able to do that.

“I really enjoyed our conversations. I think he’s a very smart player. He has a great feel for this game. The more conversations we have, the more we can make these adjustments and build on this. Jalen is one of the top defenders in this league for a reason .

“You’ve seen it on film previously, but obviously coming onto the field now, you’re certainly seeing it.”

The Eagles kind of pulled the reins on Hurts as a running back last season, part of that had to do with his knee injury. The knee improved throughout the season, but still affected Hurts, as he rushed for 605 yards and 3.9 yards per carry – both career lows for a full season as a starting quarterback. The 35.6 rushing yards per game was also a career low.

There shouldn’t be any control over Hurts and his ability to take off this time.

“Certainly what Jalen did in the run game, there are a handful of guys that can do that in this league. It’s certainly a really advantageous thing that we can continue to utilize, and we certainly will,” Moore said. “It’s a process that I’ve enjoyed, just learning better about how we were able to use it and then exploring other ways as we continue to grow, how we can continue to build off of that.

“It’s something that Jalen has done a phenomenal job with and we’ll obviously continue to embrace.”

One change the Eagles will see in Hurts is his pre-snap reads, a milestone in Moore’s development of Dak Prescott in his four years as his offensive coordinator and player. Those responsibilities will pass to Hurts in Philadelphia, adding a new twist to his game.

“Ultimately, they have a head-on view of this thing,” Moore said. “We want to give the QB tools and the ability to make necessary adjustments at the line of scrimmage while trying to keep it clean and concise so he can play fast.

“We want them to have the ability to make the necessary adjustments, but we can’t dilute that to the point where he has 500 million things he can potentially do at the line of scrimmage and now we’re not all on the same page. A lot of times the QB grade is what it is, but it also ensures that all 11 are tied to what the adjustments are.

“Jalen has been phenomenal. I’m excited to build this process with him.”

Hurts will look different in 2024, and that’s a good thing. There’s a lot of work built into the process, which is Moore’s top priority this summer.

“The most important thing is that we continually embrace it,” Moore said. “We’re constantly trying to figure out what’s the next thing, what’s new, what can give us an advantage? I think that’s the most important aspect of this thing.”