Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts is still “QB1” according to Mel Kiper Jr.

When the Philadelphia Eagles first traded Carson Wentz this offseason, the general consensus around the NFL was that they’d be moving forward with Jalen Hurts as their starting quarterback. After all, he was the only active QB on the roster up until a few weeks ago.

While fans of the team were quick to start drumming up their “Jalen Hurts QB1” tag lines, a wrinkle was thrown into the whole discussion when the team went out and signed Joe Flacco. It sounds silly to say that Flacco poses a legitimate threat to Hurts this offseason, but Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni were quite vocal that the former Super Bowl MVP was being brought in  to compete, as opposed to mentor.

Flacco quite infamously made a fuss out in Denver when tasked with working with rookie QB Drew Lock at the time, an arrangement that he wanted no part of.

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During his introductory press conference, Flacco delivered a similar rhetoric, that he joined the Eagles due to the opportunity to “compete for a job.”

While most people on the outside looking in thought little of the initial decision to sign Flacco, the manner in which team officials and coaches spoke about the signing left everyone a little more skeptical if Hurts really was the team’s “QB1.”

Then comes the draft discussion. While the Philadelphia Eagles decision to trade back from 6 to 12 likely eliminates their odds of landing a top five QB prospect, Roseman has still gone out of his way to state that such a pick isn’t out of the conversation. Both Roseman and Sirianni wouldn’t formally commit to Hurts as their starting QB in a recent press conference, and the Eagles have reportedly had talks in regards to trading back up in the draft.

If someone like Justin Fields were to slip to pick 7 or pick 8, would the Eagles start calling teams above them in the draft order? Who knows.

However, despite all of the recent controversy and confusion surrounding the Eagles QB position, ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. seems pretty sold on the idea that Hurts is going to be Philadelphia’s unquestioned starter by the time the regular season rolls around:

While Mel Kiper Jr. hasn’t been the most accurate of mock draft creators over the last few years, and I don’t personally recall the Eagles ever saying that they were going to “build around Jalen Hurts” – the thought process that Mel ran through here is pretty accurate.

Is Jalen Hurts the Philadelphia Eagles starting QB? Mel Kiper Jr. thinks so.

The Eagles initially traded back to obtain that future first-round pick, but the talent pool that they’ll be able to select from at 12 should still be pretty elite. Multiple WRs and CBs with starter potential should be on the board, and the Eagles could easily have first dibs at a defensive lineman (like Christian Barmore) should they choose to stick to their guns in regards to prioritizing the trenches.

Even an offensive tackle like Rashawn Slater has started to pick up some steam when it comes to who the Eagles like in the first round.

While they might not say so publicly until days before the 2021 season starts, it definitely feels like Hurts will at least get one season to prove he’s a starting caliber quarterback.