FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - If you want to get inside Jalen Hurts’ head and find out what he’s really thinking, don’t bother asking him.
He won't tell you.
Hurts is as guarded as any Eagle in memory, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
He doesn’t have to share his thoughts with anybody. His reticence to talk about himself and his supreme focus on the day-to-day challenges he faces are a big part of what’s led him to a 33-14 record and three straight playoff appearances since becoming the Eagles’ full-time starter in 2021.
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And he has gotten a little more forthcoming this year as he prepares for the 2024 season.
But if you want to know what he’s really feeling? What he’s really thinking? Good luck. Except in rare circumstances, it won’t come from him.
B.G. to the rescue.
Brandon Graham is the wise old owl of the Eagles’ locker room, and nobody is more tuned into what everybody on the roster is thinking and going through and what their mindset is.
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And after practice with the Patriots Tuesday, Graham went as far as saying Hurts has a “new and improved view of life” and is “really happy with what’s going on,” when asked about the fifth-year quarterback and his outlook this summer.
“I mean, you could just see that Jalen's getting more comfortable by the day and just the way he's moving, (he’s) even quicker than he was last year,” Graham said. “I think he was probably dealing with some stuff last year.
“But you can tell that he got a new and improved view of just life this year. And I'm excited for him because you can tell that he is excited.”
A lot has been written about Hurts and how his relationship with Nick Sirianni was strained last year, and considering the way the season ended, there were strained relationships all over the place.
Just in Hurts’ small universe, quarterbacks coach Alex Tanney was replaced by Doug Nussmeier, offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was replaced by Kellen Moore and Sirianni gave up control of the offense to new OC Kellen Moore.
There’s no question these moves were made with Hurts in mind. When you have a $255 million investment in a quarterback, you have to make moves that will bring out the best in him.
And make him happy.
If your franchise player is frustrated and upset and struggling in a dysfunctional offense, what do you get? We saw just about every Sunday the last seven weeks of last season.
Graham said people who try to measure Hurts’ happiness or contentment by his demeanor or facial expression are missing the point.
“You see him, you always be on him about (not) smiling, but I know him personally,” B.G. said. “So it'd be like, ‘That boy is really happy with what's going on.’ I can't wait to see him go out there and do his thing.”
Hurts is having a masterful training camp, his best ever, and he really seems to be thriving in Moore’s scheme.
At the Eagles’ joint practice with the Patriots Tuesday on the grass fields outside Gillette Stadium he picked apart New England’s secondary with precision passes to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
We’ve seen it every day at the NovaCare Complex and now we’ve seen it against another team.
He’s in total command in a way we haven’t seen since the 2022 Super Bowl season. “Every day is being tested, every day you want to forge yourself into that and just learn from what the day brings,” Hurts said after practice. “I think we're headed in a good direction.”