Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts landed outside the top 10 ranking of quarterbacks in the NFL in a recent poll conducted by ESPN among the league’s coaches, scouts and executives. Despite his success in the NFL, including winning the Super Bowl, he only earned an honorable mention.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained why Hurts wasn’t ranked among the top NFL quarterbacks via a phone call on “Midday With Marks” on Monday. While noting his respect for Hurts, the NFL insider highlights a perceived lack of “fear factor” compared to the league’s elite signal-callers.
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“This is an exercise in fear,” Fowler said. “Fear in the NFL is currency. You fear your opponent. When you game plan against the Eagles’ offense, does Jalen Hurts keep you up at night? So, to be a top quarterback, you have to be number one on that scouting report.
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“You play the Eagles, it’s Saquon Barkley in the running game, and then it’s probably or was A.J Brown. That is not to diminish Hurts. But he doesn’t have the same fear factor as the top guys do. I am a little surprised that he is as low as he is.”
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The list, published in the early hours of Monday, had Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen as the top name on the list, followed by Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford. However, the exclusion of Jalen Hurts has sparked significant debate around quarterback evaluation across the NFL world.
Jeremy Fowler highlights what Jalen Hurts needs to do better
Surprised by the exclusion of Jalen Hurts from the top quarterback ranking, Jon Marks questioned Jeremy Fowler on what the Eagles signal-caller needs to do better in his game. The NFL insider pointed out the flaws in the quarterback’s game that got him excluded from the list.
“They want more quality passing, particularly over the middle of the field,” Fowler said. “Quick decision-making from the pocket … That’s really what they want. They feel like he struggles in that area.
“This is a very tough discussion because there’s a great deal of respect in the league for Jalen Hurts for his intangibles. He throws a great deep ball, and he does a lot of things well. … But in the simplest form, the Eagles were in the bottom third in passing offense the last two years.”
Hurts has repeatedly silenced doubters throughout his career, from overcoming criticism to delivering in the biggest moments. The ESPN quarterback poll has added fuel to the conversation around the Eagles quarterback, and the upcoming 2026 season is another opportunity to prove doubters wrong.
Edited by Farouk Yusuf
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