Eagles decline to name Hurts starting QB

The Philadelphia Eagles declined to hand Jalen Hurts the starting quarterback job ahead of next week's draft.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, head coach Nick Sirianni, and vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl spoke to media Wednesday, and all three insisted there will be competition at the game's most important spot.

"To name a starter at this particular time (isn't wise), we've been working with these guys for two days," Sirianni said, according to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.

The first-year coach added he wants "competition at every position," per Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.

Philadelphia initially held the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft but moved back in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in March. The club now holds the No. 12 selection.

With as many as five quarterbacks expected to land in the top 10, the deal led to speculation that the team wouldn't target a signal-caller in Round 1 and that Hurts would open the upcoming campaign as the starter.

"The reason we traded back from six to 12 is because flexibility creates opportunity," Roseman told reporters, via The Athletic's Zach Berman.

The GM added that he graded 12 players, regardless of position, as similar prospects, which made him comfortable enough to move down, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark.

Philadelphia selected Hurts in the second round of last year's draft. He started four games in 2020 after the team benched Carson Wentz. After the Eagles traded Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, they signed Joe Flacco in free agency as a potential backup.