The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with three straight losses heading into Week 16, which has drawn some concern around Jalen Hurts’ leadership style at quarterback.
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles would like Hurts to “open himself up a little more in the locker room.”
“Clearly, Hurts has so many of the intangibles to be an elite quarterback: passing and running abilities, a genuine work ethic, and a willingness to do everything it takes to be the best. But team sources said the Eagles want their franchise quarterback to open himself up a little more in the locker room,” McLane said on episode 6 of ‘Uncovering the Birds’ podcast. “Players like and respect Hurts. The team doesn’t have to worry about him off the field. The Eagles want him to be authentic to himself, but they also need him to not isolate himself as much when a more outward leadership style is necessary, especially when the going gets tough.”
What exactly is going wrong with the Eagles?
In episode 6 of unCovering the Birds, @Jeff_McLane delves into the Birds' spiraling season and analyzes the team's four key challenges.
Listen now at https://t.co/cwlJxYCXjh 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/0F1fs7jYB5
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) December 22, 2023
When the Eagles were 10-1, there was no concern looming around the way Hurts led this team.
However, following the Birds’ 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Hurts used his postgame presser to call out his teammates for not being “committed enough” to winning.
Perhaps his words and attitude rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way — especially after the way he’s recently been playing.
Hurts, who has failed to throw a touchdown pass in two weeks, didn’t point fingers at his teammates during Thursday’s presser ahead of Week 16’s matchup and instead, took ownership of the Eagles’ last three losses.
“It all starts with me,” Hurts said. “So when I say ‘we,’ I mean ‘me,’ because I’m the point guard out there who makes everything go, the guy everyone trusts to set the pace.
“There’s a lot to learn from and I know all of that starts with me. All of that starts with me. That’s something that I own. That’s something that I take responsibility in and I’ve never shied away from. I embrace that challenge [that’s] placed upon myself and my teammates.”
We’ll see if Hurts and the Eagles have fixed their communication issues when they face the New York Giants on Christmas Day.