Eagles' Hurts preaches patience with young QBs: 'Things take time'
With multiple young QBs struggling to live up to the early hype in their careers, Philadelphia Eagles passer Jalen Hurts - who wasn't spectacular right out of the gate in the NFL - is preaching more patience with promising signal-callers.
"Things take time. Everybody has a different approach, obviously, going on," Hurts said Wednesday, according to Zach Berman of PHLY.
"I wasn't supposed to be the guy I am today. Nobody expected that. But took advantage of my opportunity, and that's what I encourage everyone to do regardless. I have a ton of respect for Tom Brady. And you hear him talk a lot of times, taking advantage of your moment. Typically, there's a different leash there, the earlier you're picked. But nonetheless, nothing's guaranteed and nothing's promised. But you have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes."
Three quarterbacks were selected in the top four of the 2023 NFL Draft, but two have already been benched midway through their second seasons in the league.
The Carolina Panthers benched 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young after starting this season 0-2. Young struggled as a rookie and didn't show much improvement in Year 2. The 23-year-old - who recently became Carolina's QB1 again to replace an injured Andy Dalton - has thrown for 13 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 21 appearances with a 71.4 passer rating.
The Indianapolis Colts most recently decided to start veteran Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick last year. Richardson - considered a long-term prospect with elite arm strength and athleticism - played just four games as a rookie due to injuries. In six games this year, the 22-year-old has completed just 44.4% of his passes with four TDs to seven INTs. He posted only a 31.3% completion rate (10-for-32) in Indy's Week 8 loss.
"Sometimes adversity builds the appropriate callouses for you to be able to forge a new path and withstand different storms that come your way," Hurts added.
The Eagles used a 2020 second-round pick on Hurts despite already rostering Carson Wentz at the time. Hurts started only four games in Year 1 and became the full-time starter in 2021, making 15 appearances. Though he only recorded an 84.7 passer rating across his first two seasons, he scored 26 scrimmage touchdowns in his sophomore campaign, including 10 on the ground. The 26-year-old then enjoyed a breakout year in 2022 with 35 total TDs en route to finishing second in MVP voting.
He's since established himself as one of the NFL's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks while posting a 30-9 record as a starter since 2022.