Report: Eagles want Jalen Hurts to be more of a vocal leader

The Eagles are reportedly hoping for Jalen Hurts to be a more front-facing leader going forward and the QB is open to those conversations.

BY SHAMUS CLANCY
PhillyVoice Staff

KIM KLEMENT NEITZEL/USA TODAY SPORTS

Jalen Hurts will be relied upon more in the leadership department in 2024.

The Eagles' 2023 season crashed and burned, a far cry from the phenomenal vibes they rode to the Super Bowl during the 2022 campaign. Jalen Hurts was good in 2023, but did not reach the MVP-caliber highs he hit the year prior.

With potential wholesale changes on the way for the Eagles, including the possibility of both Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retiring, the Eagles want Hurts to be more of a vocal leader going forward and are working with him to become, per a Sunday afternoon NFL Network report.

The discussion from reporter Mike Garafolo can be seen below with partial transcription to follow:

[The Eagles] feel like new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is going to bring some fresh ideas, which should help Hurts and that offense, but there is a non-X's-and-O's element at play here. That is that Hurts, he's usually of few words and he's stoic. They want him to be more front-facing and more of a vocal leader, especially because Jason Kelce might be retiring, Fletcher Cox as well and some other long-term fixtures could be moving on with the Eagles as well. 

So now is Hurts' time. They paid him like it last year. Now, he's only 25. He's not a finished product. You hear that repeatedly when you talk to the Eagles and they say that he's open to these conversations. They've already been having these conversations and they wanted him, and the people around him did as well, to show his personality when he was down at the Pro Bowl. He did that. They feel like that was a step forward. [NFL Network]

It's obvious that the Eagles will need Hurts to resemble his 2022 self if the Eagles want to get back to true Super Bowl-level contention. Again, big roster changes could be on the horizon, including the chance that Haason Reddick is traded away. 2024 will be pivotal for Hurts to re-establish himself as an elite quarterback in this league.

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-news-jalen-hurts-vocal-leader-jason-kelce-retirement-nfl-rumors/

Thing is… You can’t really change a persons personality and if you do then it doesn’t tend to be very authentic. That’s not to say Hurts can’t grow as a leader because he can. A lot of us in our professions move towards leadership roles and have things to work on. 

My view is Hurts is who he is. He’s a quieter more stoic guy. When the pressure is on that’s a great quality because you never see him panic. But it works against him when you need someone to get after guys or raise the tempo. Mahomes is a good example of this. He is very calm under extreme pressure but you also see him animated at times when his team is struggling.

4 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Thing is… You can’t really change a persons personality and if you do then it doesn’t tend to be very authentic. That’s not to say Hurts can’t grow as a leader because he can. A lot of us in our professions move towards leadership roles and have things to work on. 

My view is Hurts is who he is. He’s a quieter more stoic guy. When the pressure is on that’s a great quality because you never see him panic. But it works against him when you need someone to get after guys or raise the tempo. Mahomes is a good example of this. He is very calm under extreme pressure but you also see him animated at times when his team is struggling.

I totally agree with your first sentence.  With Hurts, it will depend on what his true personality is.  Is he stoic because he thinks that's the way he should be...so, in essence, that isn't his true personality?  If so, then all he'd have to do is let his guard down and start to feel comfortable expressing his true self?

But if that is his true personality...that will be really tough to become a more vocal-type of leader/person.

Leadership happens naturally and is innate in nature.  Can't force it.

4 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I totally agree with your first sentence.  With Hurts, it will depend on what his true personality is.  Is he stoic because he thinks that's the way he should be...so, in essence, that isn't his true personality?  If so, then all he'd have to do is let his guard down and start to feel comfortable expressing his true self?

But if that is his true personality...that will be really tough to become a more vocal-type of leader/person.

Leadership happens naturally and is innate in nature.  Can't force it.

Yeah I know what you mean and we don’t know because we don’t know the true Hurts. We aren’t around him we just see what he wants us to see. I’m sure he is more outgoing than his interviews etc suggest but I’m also not sure he’s a loud rah rah kind of guy.