Jalen Hurts’ decision-making, second-guessing Nick Sirianni, and more answers to Reddit’s biggest Eagles questions

What’s happening with Jahan Dotson? What does Sirianni bring to this team? Let’s dive in.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni covers his mouth as he talks with quarterback Jalen Hurts on Sunday in New Orleans.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Published Sept. 24, 2024, 2:11 p.m. ET

After each game this Eagles season, Inquirer columnist David Murphy will answer questions posed by Eagles fans on Reddit about what they saw on the field — and what it all means moving forward — in a weekly mailbag of sorts.

This week there is plenty of concern among fans even after the Eagles beat the previously undefeated Saints. Here are some of the best questions we received this week:

From tbridhart105: Do you think Payton Turner is gonna get fined for the late hit on DeVonta Smith? I’ve also seen some videos speculating that he spit on DeVonta after he was on the ground. What repercussions do you think he should be given?

Murphy: My first thought watching the play live was, “How could they wait so long to blow that play dead?” An officiating failure first and foremost. You can’t tell the guys to play to the whistle and then not blow the whistle. But, yeah, beyond that, it was a totally unnecessary hit and as long as stuff like that is still “legal” then the NFL really isn’t doing nearly enough to protect players and reduce the risk of head injuries. I’ve always been a proponent of the NFL introducing some sort of rule that requires an attempt to wrap up rather than launching one’s body. But to answer your question, I don’t know if there will be a fine. If there isn’t, the rules should be altered so that what happened there does get a fine.

From greetedworm: What is happening with Jahan Dotson? I thought he’d be getting a lot of targets with A.J. Brown down, but the last two weeks Covey has been the main No. 2 WR it seems.

Murphy: I was a Jahan Dotson believer coming out of Penn State. But there’s a lot of truth in the old saying, when people show you who they are, believe them. Fact is, the Commanders were willing to give Dotson away for a third-round pick. He never reached his potential there. He has been invisible here. Maybe he isn’t the player we thought he was.

From Non_Original_Name_: Jalen Hurts’ decision-making is clearly an issue. When does the game plan start to take away from him making too many decisions and more run first with quick-hitting, one-read, short routes?

Murphy: Agree that the decision-making is an issue. Hurts needs to be smarter with the ball, plain and simple. You can’t attempt that pass he threw in the end zone on Sunday. Just can’t do it. I really don’t think the play-calling is to blame. The Eagles run plenty of quick-hit stuff. It’s a lot tougher to do without A.J. Brown, for one. They ran a lot of it for Britain Covey against the Falcons. But at a certain point an offense is going to have to rely on the quarterback to analyze the defense pre-snap and process things in real time. It’s a tough position. We’re seeing that across the NFL. There’s only so much a coaching staff can do. Over the last two weeks, Patrick Mahomes has thrown three picks while averaging 175 passing yards. I’m not making excuses for Hurts. Just trying to maintain some context.

From dressagerider1020: I don’t know anything about football, I just love my Eagles ... but why didn’t they kick field goals when they had the chance?

Murphy: The decision go for it with 14 seconds left in the first half was one of the strangest coaching decisions I’ve seen. Objectively the wrong call. There really isn’t any argument in favor of it.

From acroyearII: Please explain Isaiah Rodgers’ fall from grace.

Murphy: Kinda similar to Dotson — I don’t know if it’s a fall from grace as much as misplaced expectations. Everybody wanted to talk Isaiah Rodgers into existence without much evidence that he actually was that player, especially after a year off from football.

From LuckyCulture7: What does Nick Sirianni bring to this team?

Murphy: I’m not going to defend Sirianni’s game management decisions Sunday. Thought he had a very bad day. Plenty of other valid critiques too, especially his emotions. Gotta be the adult in the room as an NFL coach. All that said, the Eagles won a road game against the hottest team in the NFL with their two star wideouts injured and their star right tackle injured. That’s not nothing. The Eagles are 2-1 this year and 36-18 in the regular season under Sirianni. That doesn’t happen if the head coach isn’t bringing anything to the table. Their fundamentals and effort are better than most teams in the NFL. There’s a legit question whether Sirianni is maximizing the talent at his disposal. I’ve gone from skeptic to proponent to agnostic.

From nking05: Why does it seem like the team doesn’t start getting Saquon Barkley involved until the second half of games? It was a real head scratcher watching him touch the ball zero times in the opening drive against Atlanta, only to see him touch the ball five times in the first half Sunday? I get people don’t want to run him into the ground before the playoffs, but he’s arguably been the best player on the team through three games and should be the centerpiece of our game plan. Would love some thoughts.

Murphy: I’m with you — I didn’t understand the way they utilized him. I especially thought they’d try to do more to work him into the passing game, that Week 2 drop notwithstanding.

From Smart-Cap-753: Where is the Zack Baun appreciation? Dude has been making crucial plays on a weekly basis

Murphy: He’s a hard player not to like. Is definitely earning his snaps.