Eagles players open up about leadership of Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson shared last month that quarterback Jalen Hurts had "gone out of his way to connect with his teammates" after Hurts' leadership style was routinely criticized following the club's collapse late last season.

Star running back Saquon Barkley joined the Eagles in free agency and was among Philadelphia players who recently spoke with Chris Franklin of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com about what they saw from Hurts over the past several months.

"Jalen had already solidified himself, to me, as a leader by what he says vocally, his work ethic, and being able to bring everyone together," Barkley said while detailing the chemistry he's already built with Hurts. "I’m so excited to play with him and all those guys. It’s a relatively young team, but, at the same time, there are a lot of vets. I’m happy to be part of that and let my leadership grow within that role, too."

It was reported last week that the relationship between Hurts and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni "is still a work in progress" after "there was some disconnect between them due to their personalities" last season. Sirianni reportedly is on the hot seat heading into the upcoming campaign, and some whispers have suggested the Eagles could explore moving on from Hurts as soon as next offseason even though he signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed in the spring of 2023.

"We all love Jalen," Eagles cornerback Zech McPhearson told Franklin. "He’s such a great leader and one of the best quarterbacks. I’ve only been on one team, but I love what he does for his team. It’s unfortunate what he takes from the media, which I don’t really agree with."

Rumblings about the 2023 Eagles allegedly dealing with "a problem that would splinter any group of men" as they went from 10-1 to 11-6 before they suffered a wild-card playoff loss have seemingly quieted down. Meanwhile, McPhearson insisted that Hurts is "a great leader" even if the signal-caller isn't always as outspoken as some outsiders may want.

"Yes, he’s quiet, but that is who he is," McPhearson added about Hurts. "But when it’s time to talk, he does. He leads, and he will put his foot down and let his presence be known."

Eagles captain and defensive end Brandon Graham noted that he and Hurts "have been building that relationship every day." Whether or not Hurts "reaching out to his teammates to connect better with them," as Franklin put it, will help the club reach its full potential this coming season shall be seen.

As of late Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles tied for third among the betting favorites at +700 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.