Let's start with this — Jalen Hurts was thrown into an impossible situation and there is legitimate reason to be optimistic about him as a player.
Hurts has succeeded at every stop of his football career. Transitioning to the NFL is hard, but Hurts has all the tools to make it once he is given the chance. It would not be surprising at all if whenever he becomes a starter, he succeeds just like he did at Alabama and Oklahoma. That very well could end up happening in an Eagles jersey.
That being said, 11 games into his career with the Eagles, it is painfully clear that so far the Howie Roseman's decision to draft Hurts almost couldn't be playing out any worse.
It is safe to say that the night he debated the pick, along with owner Jeffrey Lurie, neither could have projected the decision playing out as poorly as it has.
Think about it. We are 11 weeks into the season, and for the majority of those weeks, Hurts has been a dominating topic around the team.
First, it was the multiple-week, national debate following the draft about if the selection meant the team still believed in Carson Wentz.
Then, in training camp, it was whether Hurts would be the backup over Nate Sudfeld, followed by dramatic decision to activate him in Week 2 after sitting him Week 1.
Next, it was how much Hurts should play, a discussion on why Hurts isn't throwing it more, to now, a heated debate on if Hurts should be starting over a struggling Wentz.
Through it all, the team's franchise quarterback has had to look over his shoulder after each snap, wondering if his backup would be coming in while trying to make his way through arguably the toughest stretch of his professional career.
All of this distraction for one six-yard completion, 56 total yards and three fumbles on 13 touches.
Needless to say, this is not what the Eagles had in mind when they drafted Hurts. At least, that is what comments from Howie Roseman from the night he drafted Hurts seemed to indicate.
"Nobody is going to be looking at a rookie quarterback as somebody who's going to be taking over a Pro Bowl quarterback," Roseman said in April, "a guy who's been on the cusp of winning an MVP."
Whoops.
Roseman also said this was a pick that would actually help Wentz and one he should be excited about.
"(Hurts) gives us another weapon in that room. This gives us another incredible teammate," Roseman said. "This gives us somebody that is going to be incredibly supportive to our quarterback, and quite frankly, this is exciting. This is exciting. This is exciting for our quarterback."
Hurts very well might be an incredible teammate, but this week a report came out that Wentz was understandably not that excited about the team drafting a high-profile quarterback with their second-round pick.
There was also this comparison Roseman made that had to be music to Wentz's ears.
"We didn't think this was much different," Roseman said, "than when we brought Nick Foles in."
In fairness, Roseman was comparing the second-round pick the Eagles invested in Hurts to the two-year, $11 million deal the team gave Foles prior to the 2017 season. In some ways he is right, although many would probably agree a second-round pick is worth more than a relatively small amount of cap space.
Regardless, Roseman bringing up the most dramatic event in Wentz's career (Foles) on the same night they drafted Hurts ended up being a sign of things to come.
It has been a distraction having Hurts on the roster.
It has impacted Wentz negatively at the worst possible time.
It hasn't helped the team on the field.
Through not fault of his own, the selection of Hurts could not be going any worse.
The question is whether that will change anytime soon, or in a disastrous 2020 season, the selection of Hurts will prove to be perhaps it's worst moment.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
