Eagles' Howie Roseman On Jalen Hurts: 'We Want To See Him Grab The Job And Run With It'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)- After trading Carson Wentz at the opening of the offseason, the presumption around the Eagles was that Jalen Hurts would have the chance to lock down the starting quarterback job for the future in 2021. But, at a pre-draft press conference, both general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni didn't give Hurts the nod saying instead it would be a competition for the spot. On Thursday night, Roseman gave the first public acknowledgement that the organization wants to see Hurts lock down the job.

In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Roseman said that the team wants to see Hurts play this season in the starting job to give them more ability to evaluate whether or not he's the quarterback of the future.

"You're judging him off of four NFL starts in a tough situation with all of the injuries that we had. We want to see him grab the job and kind of run with it," Roseman said. "See what you do over a period of time. I remember you told me this a long time ago, the more work you can see a player play, the more you can make decisions on that player. I remember we talked about this when were talking about even extending players early versus getting the full body of work. I think that applies here to Jalen. We want to be in a situation where we get as much information as possible. Give him the best opportunity, build that offensive line, give him the right weapons, put him in a system that really maximizes his ability. Then go from there."

The comments from Roseman are the first public endorsement of Hurts as a starter for the team since the season ended though the team's draft class could have been viewed through that lens as well.

After trading up to No. 10 in the first round, they could have selected either Justin Fields or Mac Jones but instead chose to add receiver DeVonta Smith to give Hurts another weapon to work with. In the second round, they added Landon Dickerson, another former Hurts teammate from Alabama who, if healthy could step into a starting role at some point this season. And in the fifth round, they added Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell whose versatility as a runner, pass catcher and pass blocker earned him the status of "late round steal" from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.

Hurts certainly seems to be preparing for the starting role as well with videos surfacing in the last few days of him working out with Dallas Goedert, Miles Sanders, and John Hightower and quarterback coach Quincy Avery.

The Eagles hope that the work he's putting in and the talent they have returning and incoming will put Hurts and the franchise in position to return to contender status over the next few years.

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