As Eagles training camp starts, Year 2 of the Nick Sirianni-Jalen Hurts experiment begins

Earlier this offseason, Jalen Hurts sent Nick Sirianni a video of his brother scoring a touchdown in a high school game.

The Eagles quarterback and coach traded stories a few days earlier about their commonalities: How they were both the son of a high school coach and each served as a ball boy for his older brother’s high school games.

One of Hurts’ favorite memories was celebrating with his brother after a pivotal score in a playoff game, which evoked a slightly bittersweet story for his coach.

“I told him a story about the one time I couldn’t go to a game,” Sirianni said last month. “I had to get stitches — that’s a different story altogether — so I couldn’t be a ball boy and my brother picked off [a pass].”

Sirianni and Hurts have found plenty of common ground going into their second year together, something the Eagles coach expects will help them as training camp opens at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday.

“You never know perfectly how to coach anybody, but I feel like I’m [getting] better and better at being able to do that,” Sirianni said. “Just because we’re spending time on that relationship. I think that’s important for all our coaches.”

After an offseason with multiple high-profile additions, the expectations for the duo have ratcheted up some. Hurts enters his third year in the league — second as a full-time starter — still working to prove he’s the long-term answer at the position and will be eligible for a contract extension after the season.

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Sirianni successfully turned around a dubious start to last season en route to a playoff berth, but will be tasked with developing Hurts and managing the loftier projections that come with the Eagles’ splashy offseason moves.

The Eagles traded for star wide receiver A.J. Brown and added several potential difference-makers on defense, including edge rusher Haason Reddick, cornerback James Bradberry, and rookie defensive lineman Jordan Davis. As a result, there’s an argument to be made that they should be able to improve off last year’s 9-8 record and be competitive in the playoffs.

Sirianni conceded that the buzz surrounding the team is tangible in the building, but said he has stayed consistent with his messaging from last year.

“The same amount of work is going to be required regardless if you have high expectations or low expectations,” he said. “You have to work. How many times have we seen the team that starts off really hot, then maybe buys into the hype? I’m very conscious of that in as far as I know what some of these guys are hearing from outside noise, whether it’s media, whether it’s friends, family members. So the message is, if we want to do what we want to do … then we have to be committed to the process of how we work.”

If the Eagles are to meet those expectations, it will require improvement from Hurts and, by extension, Sirianni.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old Hurts completed just 60.6% of his passes last season, which was in the bottom five of the league’s starting quarterbacks. He struggled with accuracy and was inconsistent at times with his decision-making. Some of his inefficiencies were washed away by his ability to impact games with his legs, especially after Sirianni shifted to a run-first approach with Hurts posing as a threat to keep handoffs and attack the backside of a defense.

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With Brown joining second-year receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles have at least three receiving threats capable of amassing 1,000 yards through the air. They also have one of the best offensive lines in the league coming off a dominant 2021 season.

Does Hurts have what it takes to maximize the offense’s potential?

“Of course,” Sirianni said. “He has qualities that, first of all, you saw his abilities to create. If I’m ranking what’s important for a quarterback, it’s always going to be accuracy as No. 1. And then No. 2, I went back and forth on whether I thought that would be decision-making or ability to create. The reason I went back-and-forth with that was because of the dynamic playmaking Jalen has. Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you got it.”

During spring workouts, Hurts emphasized the importance of staying in the same offensive system for consecutive years. He hasn’t had such consistency since he was in high school and said it should help him take strides in making better decisions.

“I think that’s been very pivotal going through the offseason,” Hurts said last month. “As we go through the plays and run the plays against our defense, just being decisive out there on the field. Knowing pretty much where I’m going with the ball based off the look that they give me, there’s a natural maturation there.”

As far as the upcoming summer practices, Hurts said he and the rest of the team are eager to get started.

“I can’t wait, I really can’t wait,” Hurts said earlier this month before a youth football camp. “We’ve put in a lot of work. Everybody has been grinding. When the time comes, we’ll be ready. We’re taking it day by day, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”