Eagles veteran defends Jalen Hurts amid rumors, criticisms

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts remains the subject of rumors and criticisms related to the club's epic collapse late last season.

Veteran Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham spoke with reporters following Tuesday's practice and insisted that Hurts has a "new and improved view of life" and is "really happy with what’s going on" following quite the tumultuous year for the organization.

"I mean, you could just see that Jalen's getting more comfortable by the day and just the way he's moving, (he’s) even quicker than he was last year," Graham explained, as shared by Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I think he was probably dealing with some stuff last year. But you can tell that he got a new and improved view of just life this year. And I'm excited for him because you can tell that he is excited."

Specifically, it's no secret that Hurts played through a knee issue as he helped the 2023 Eagles begin the season with a 10-1 record. Philadelphia ultimately fell to 11-6 and then suffered a blowout wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stories subsequently emerged questioning Hurts' leadership style and his relationships with teammates.

Multiple individuals inside the Philadelphia locker room have defended Hurts since the start of springtime workouts, but such comments became overshadowed by stories detailing alleged issues between the signal-caller and head coach Nick Sirianni that may or may not still hover over the club.

While some have called Hurts out for not strongly backing Sirianni and others during public media obligations, Graham indicated he's fine with how the 26-year-old handles things behind the scenes.

"You see him, you always be on him about (not) smiling, but I know him personally," Graham added about Hurts. "So it'd be like, 'That boy is really happy with what's going on.' I can't wait to see him go out there and do his thing."

Sirianni reportedly has embraced "more of a CEO-type role" as new Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore looks to help Hurts reclaim the form that made him a finalist for the 2022 regular season Most Valuable Player Award. With that said, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is seemingly waiting for the Eagles and a couple of other franchises to give him a call in January 2025 regarding his anticipated return to the sidelines.

How much Hurts truly cares about Sirianni's coaching future should become clear over the next handful of months.