Comparing Their First 11 Starts: Wentz vs Hurts

This season Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts has been under fire from both the fanbase and the media about his play so far. Hurts came into the league with high expectations after a phenomenal career in college, along with having all the intangibles a productive quarterback should have. But now everyone seems to like to compare his play to the guy he took over for, Carson Wentz. As we know, Wentz was drafted #2 overall and during the Eagles’ Super Bowl season he was on pace to win league MVP if he didn’t get hurt, but then was never the same after the injury, and was ultimately traded after drafting Hurts.

Below are both of their stats through their first 11 starts in the NFL:

Carson Wentz:

11 TDs

8 INTs

2,563 yards

63 completion percentage

32 rushes, 81 yards, 1 TD, 2 fumbles lost

Total: 12 TDs, 2,595 yards, 10 turnovers

Jalen Hurts:

15 TDs

7 INTs

2,635 yards

56 completion percentage

112 rushes, 633 yards, 8 TDs, 3 fumbles lost

Total: 23 TDs, 3,268 yards, 10 turnovers

Wentz didn’t take form until his second full season as the Eagles’ starter when he led the team to an 11-2 record before getting hurt. Although Hurts is technically in his second season, he hasn’t had as many snaps as Wentz did by this time in his career, so it is fair to still consider Hurts as a rookie. As you see from the stats above, Hurts is putting up better numbers than Wentz was at this point, so it is ok to believe that Hurts will continue to progress and eventually be leading the Birds to more victories.

Fans are already calling for the team to look in a different direction at the quarterback position although Hurts hasn’t even played a true full season. I believe he has earned more time and should be the starter going into 2022. Looking at the next draft class, not a single quarterback is better than Hurts, so if you want to draft a QB it must be the following year’s draft. The Eagles shouldn’t waste their first-round picks on this year’s QB draft class. Maybe if the Birds use those picks to booster their defense and they improve then there won’t be as much pressure on Hurts and the offense.

What are your thoughts? Should the Eagles continue with Hurts or move on? If they move on, who should they replace him with? Should they get a new QB through the draft or free agency? Comment below and interact with me on Twitter @John_Pentol_