The Eagles made it crystal clear when they drafted Jalen Hurts that they are not turning him into a receiver, a running back or any other position outside of cornerback.
"I want to make a point here first and foremost that Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback," head coach Doug Pederson said, "and he was drafted as a quarterback and he's a quarterback first."
What is also clear, however, is that they already have a starting quarterback in Carson Wentz. Which is why it wasn't surprising when Pederson also hinted at a plan to use Hurts in roles other than a traditional starting quarterback.
"With Jalen Hurts, he has a unique skill set," Pederson said. "You see what Taysom Hill has done in New Orleans and now he and [Saints QB] Drew Brees have a connection there and a bond there, and you even look at -- when [Joe] Flacco and [Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson] in Baltimore for the short period of time, how they gelled together. It's just something we're going to explore."
Now that they have invested a second-round pick in Hurts, it is easy to understand why they would explore that. Using a second-round pick on a player that projects to only be a backup is foolish, and the Eagles will want to look for ways to show Hurts' value to the roster.
The result could be a similar-style offense than the Ravens and Saints have used with Jackson and Hill.
The Eagles' tie to how the Ravens used Flacco and Jackson together is offensive senior consultant Marty Mornhinweg. Mornhinweg was in Baltimore in 2018 when the Ravens had both Flacco and Jackson, and Pederson said he discussed the Hurts with Mornhinweg prior to the team drafting him.
"Marty obviously was a part of that team that brought in Lamar Jackson, and obviously he did the evaluation process. And then fast forward to where we are today, and I bring Marty on board and ask him to look, and Howie and Andy and their staff, they asked all our coaches to look at players," Pederson said. "Marty with his expertise in quarterbacks, just take a look at all these guys. He felt very similar in Jalen as he did in Lamar."
A look at how Mornhinweg and the Ravens used Jackson prior to making him the starting quarterback:
Lamar Jackson, Rookie Year as backup (9 games)
Snaps: Played 86 snaps (9.5 snaps per game)
Notes: Of his 86 snaps, 52 of those snaps were with Flacco also on the field. The most snaps Jackson played was 30 in Week 1 when the Ravens won in a blowout and Flacco was pulled. Of those 30 snaps in Week 1, 25 came after Flacco was pulled. Take those 25 snaps away from the 86 total snaps, and 52 of the 61 snaps Jackson played prior to becoming the starter were with Flacco on the field. After Week 1, Jackson then averaged 4.8 snaps per game the following 6 games before averaging 13.5 snaps in final two games before becoming starter.
A better projection of how the Eagles might use Hurts is how the Saints have used Hill the last two seasons, and especially last season. In fact, a recent report suggested the Eagles plan to have a package for Hurt that is being described as "Taysom Hill on steroids."
Hurts is much closer to Hill as an athlete, and neither are in the class of Jackson as a runner. Hill, who is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, did not attend the Combine but was clocked at a (probably generous) 4.44 at his Pro Day. Hurts, 6-foot-1, 221 pounds, was clocked in at a 4.59 at the NFL Combine.
The Saints have been very aggressive in using Hill, not only by himself, but on the field the same time as Drew Brees:
Taysom Hill (Played 16 games in 2018 and 2019, not including playoffs)
Snaps:
241 snaps last season (15.06 snaps per game)
423 snaps the last two seasons (13.2 snaps per game)
207 snaps on the field with another QB in 2019 (12.9 per game)
27 snaps on field without a QB (1.6 snaps per game)
Notes: Of the 207 plays that Hill was on the field with another quarterback, 69 of them went for a first down. That doesn't mean the plays averaged over 10 yards — some could have been on 3rd-and-1, etc. But overall, 33% of the plays with two quarterbacks on the field went for a first-down last season for the Saints
Rushing
Last season: 1.6 rushing attempts per game, 5.8 yards per attempt
Last two seasons: Averaged 2 rushing attempts per game, 5.5 yards per attempt
Receiving
Last season: 22 targets, 19 catches, 234 yards, 12.3 yards-per-catch ( 1.3 targets per game)
Last two seasons: 29 targets, 22 catches, 238 yards, 10.8 yards-per-catch (0.9 targets per game)
Passing
Last season: 3/6, 55 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT (Wentz 1/1 for 50 yards in Saints' playoff loss)
Last two seasons: 6/13, 119 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
As you can see, the Saints used Hill in a number of different ways. He averaged around two rushes per game, 1 target per game and a pass attempt every six games or so. That might not sound like much, but that is a potentially huge change in their offense considering the Eagles didn't run a two-quarterback set a single time last season.
Hurts having a "Taysom Hill on steroids" role in the offense could mean Wentz coming off the field for around two snaps per game, and Wentz sharing the field with Hurts around 13 snaps per game. It could also mean Wentz potentially coming off the field on some big plays. That is a major shift for Wentz, who has been the only quarterback on the field for each of the 56 games he has played, and has played every meaningful snap in those 56 games (outside of snaps missed due to injury).
How this plays out with Wentz, Hurts and the Eagles remain to be seen, but it sure seems like they have something planned with their new quarterback, and it will definitely be interesting to watch it play out.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
