‘Top of his game’: Eagles see improvement in QB Jalen Hurts as training camp concludes

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With the Eagles situated just a few miles away from the Atlantic Ocean this week, Jalen Hurts insists he isn’t interested in riding any waves.

The 24-year-old Eagles quarterback is doing his best to stay levelheaded as he prepares to enter the third year of his career, his second season as the starter.

On Thursday morning, however, coach Nick Sirianni began the day with a bold statement that expressed extreme confidence in his quarterback.

“I thought Jalen was outstanding in [Wednesday’s] practice,” Sirianni said. “I mean, to me, Jalen’s practice yesterday was the best practice he’s had as an Eagle since I’ve been here.”

It was the type of declaration from Sirianni that might appear as brash from an outsider’s perspective. But Hurts maintains the same mindset, no matter his performance.

“I’m doing my job, and I’m doing my job at a high level, knowing what’s right and what’s wrong,” Hurts said. “I’ve always had a very high standard for myself. Taking that mentality I’ve always had. I’m soaking it up and chasing growth everyday. That allows me to take steps as a quarterback.

“Nobody has a higher standard for myself than me. I’m never going to ride waves. I’m going to stay consistent in my approach.”

The specific practice Sirianni referenced was the team’s joint session with the Dolphins from Wednesday. Hurts appeared to have a steady, albeit unimpressive session, that lacked downfield passes and was filled with checkdowns.

But Sirianni offered insight that backed his confidence in his starting quarterback.

“What he was doing with the football and being able to go through reads and the progressions that fast and getting the ball to where it needed to go, I thought was unbelievable,” Sirianni said.

“There was a play on third down. We’re running some sort of slant to A.J. [Brown]. They took it away by coverage, and it was third-and-5. And he checks it down quickly to the tight end Jack Stoll. He did the same thing on another slant to A.J., when he went over top to DeVonta [Smith]. I’m not sure on all the times I’ve ever been a part of that play, I’ve never seen the ball go there, and Jalen found it and figured out how to get it there.

“It was just happening. Everything was happening so quick ... It seemed like everything had slowed down for him and he was getting the ball out on time. I just thought he was at the top of his game yesterday. That’s a great development for us.”

» READ MORE: Eagles practice: Nick Sirianni bullish on Jalen Hurts; Defense stifles in red zone; DeVonta Smith does pushups

This specific development from Hurts was a large point of emphasis that was stressed by the coaching staff upon the conclusion of last season. The Eagles wanted him to improve his throwing mechanics, processing, and timing on scheduled throws.

Hurts, of course, offers the dynamic ability as a dual threat; in his first year as a full-time starter, he completed 61.3% of his throws with 16 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. Hurts also recorded 784 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, which marked the most rushing touchdowns by any Eagles quarterback in a single season.

“I think he’s seeing the field really well,” Sirianni said. “He’s building that memory bank of plays vs. different coverages and knowing where to go with the football from that. I think his decision-making process is just continuing to get better, which is common among quarterbacks that are on it and that are getting better.”

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Unfortunately for Hurts and the Eagles, they were afforded just one joint practice with the Dolphins, who canceled the second session on Thursday after multiple Dolphins caught the stomach flu. The Eagles still hosted an intrasquad practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex. Playing against his own teammates, Hurts put together another steady performance, although he was intercepted twice in the red zone by cornerbacks Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox.

Safety Marcus Epps had a unique vantage point of both interceptions — along with Hurts’ completions — considering his position affixed at the back of the defense.

“You can see his progression right away,” Epps said. “His deep ball is much improved. You can tell he’s going through his progressions and seeing the field better. Even when he makes mistakes, he knows right away what went wrong in his looks against the coverage. He’s reading coverages quickly. Every day in camp, he’s gotten better and better everyday. That’s what I expect from him considering how serious he takes it.”

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s final preseason game against the Miami and recap the joint practice leading into the game. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday