Nick Sirianni Could Be Holding Back Jalen Hurts Already

The Philadelphia Eagles are hoping that the 2021 NFL season treats them better than the previous campaign did. The Eagles finished 2020 with a 4-11-1 record, ending up at the bottom of the NFC East. Now, they have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni to begin a new era with Jalen Hurts as the probable No. 1 quarterback.

However, it's already looking like Sirianni might already be holding back his sophomore signal-caller.

Sirianni mentioned over the weekend that it "remains to be seen" if he'll bring in run-pass options or quarterback read run plays for Hurts. He went on to add that quarterbacks in his system "must abide by certain principals," according to NBC Sports Edge. If that's the case, Hurts may be held back from reaching his true potential.

Jalen Hurts Rumors

Sirianni went on to add that even though the best players excel at certain plays, they still need to adapt to whatever system is in place. While he may not have mentioned Hurts by name, it's pretty evident that Sirianni wants to see Hurts adapt to his playbook rather than the other way around.

"All great players in their own right, all like to do things differently, though, right? And our job as coaches is to adapt to the players we have, and run the plays they like, but we also have a system."

- Nick Sirianni, Eagles head coach

Hurts started four games for Philadelphia in 2020 where he looked pretty comfortable running with the ball. He recorded 354 yards on the ground while adding 3 rushing touchdowns on 63 attempts. However, anyone who followed Hurts' college career knows what he's capable of.

Through four college football seasons between 2016 and 2019, the Eagles signal-caller amassed 3,274 rushing yards and 43 TDs. Obviously, that would be harder to replicate in the NFL, but maybe Sirianni should consider more QB run plays if he wants Hurts to have the best opportunity to succeed.

The Eagles are currently an extreme long shot to win the Super Bowl at +8500 odds (27th), according to FanDuel Sportsbook. While they may not compete for a championship this season, it would probably be in the team's best interest to play to Hurts' strengths if they want him to be their quarterback of the future.

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