Jalen Hurts finished Eagles training camp ‘in a better place’ and with one INT that he playfully dismissed

After tossing his first and only interception of training camp, Jalen Hurts still managed to get the last laugh.

The Eagles quarterback’s turnover-free streak going into the final open practice of the summer has been well-documented, but it came to an end during a team session Wednesday when Darius Slay coaxed Hurts into targeting Parris Campbell over the middle of the field, only for the veteran cornerback to jump the route and take it the other way.

Asked if the talkative Slay had any words for him after snapping the streak, Hurts said he was the one with something to say.

“I told him, ‘About time,’” he said.

Hurts’ levity in the aftermath of training camp is understandable, given his play the last few weeks. The 26-year-old quarterback started training camp with a string of sharp days and, although the offense stagnated at times toward the end of camp, took noticeable strides operating out of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s new system.

Looking back at the summer, Hurts said he felt the starting offense made steady progress.

“I thought it was a good camp,” he said. “I thought we came in with the right focus. I think when you add up and quantify — the No. 1 goal is to quantify the work. You want to do that over a period of time, just keep on stacking, keep on stacking, keep on stacking, and I definitely feel like we took a lot of steps and will continue to take steps with the right focus.”

After raising some eyebrows by conceding Moore’s system was “95% new” in the spring, Hurts said he has been making headway working with Moore and quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier to shape the scheme the last few weeks as well.

“Just constant communication,” Hurts said. “Constant dialogue, I think that’s where it is. I can really appreciate all of those things. There are definitely challenges when you have that constant change and you don’t really have that continuity there, but there’s also a ton of opportunity. Really forging a good relationship with Coach Doug and Coach Kellen and really communicating at a high level.”

» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Darius Slay’s ‘about time’ interception of Jalen Hurts; Kenneth Gainwell thrives

The group’s first live action likely will come against the Green Bay Packers in São Paolo, Brazil, a few weeks from now. The Eagles will close out the preseason against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, but the final preseason game typically is reserved for players fighting for roster spots rather than presumptive starters.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni elected not to play the offensive starters in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens because of slick field conditions. The group got extensive work in a joint practice against the Patriots the following week, which led to those players watching Thursday’s game against New England from the sidelines at Gillette Stadium as well.

When asked about the potential of not having live reps before Week 1, Hurts said he was in favor of the decision the Eagles’ brain trust of owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman, and Sirianni would make.

“I’m OK with that,” Hurts said. “I’m OK with obviously whatever Mr. Lurie, Howie, and Nick have in store for us. I really just trust in our preparation in all that.”

Sirianni has tried replicating gamelike environments at points during the last few weeks, starting with the team’s public practice at the Linc earlier this month. He also held two days mostly comprised of intrasquad scrimmages in the last week with the coach calling out different game situations for the team to drill.

Along with the joint practice against the Patriots, the two days gave an instructive look at where Hurts is in Moore’s scheme. It hasn’t been perfect — the Eagles defense got home with several blitzes, and Hurts was slow getting the ball out at times — but A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith had a handful of highlight plays to finish out camp.

After playing through a knee injury for a stretch of last season and finishing the year dealing with a dislocated middle finger on his throwing hand, Hurts said he’s in noticeably better condition physically going into Week 1.

“I’m in a better place, yeah,” Hurts said. “I think I’m in a better place physically. I obviously had some nicks there throughout the year that I told you guys not to ask me about, but, you know, you deal with those things. And all of those things have made me better. They’ve made me reevaluate some things, and they’ve allowed me to reassess, and I’ve been able to saturate myself in the right things.”

The Eagles play their preseason finale Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.