Jalen Hurts says offense is ‘building’ as a training camp with moving parts and injuries ends
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith missed time in Eagles camp, leaving Hurts to work more with other receivers. The offense hasn't looked great, but Hurts says it's part of the process.
The 18th and final Eagles practice of training camp was underway, and when 11-on-11 team drills began, the first-unit offense didn’t have A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, or Landon Dickerson on the field.
It marked the 15th consecutive practice that one of Brown (hamstring) or Smith (groin) — the duo that makes up arguably the best 1-2 receiving punch in the NFL — was out with an injury. Wide receiver Johnny Wilson, who was carted off the field with a left leg injury Tuesday, also was absent.
There have been a lot of moving parts throughout the summer with injuries and rest days. The Eagles did not look particularly potent during their two joint practices vs. the Cleveland Browns last week, the only measurable barometer of the offense against a real opponent during camp.
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But even without four key starters Wednesday, Hurts had a pretty impressive day in what ended up being a light workout. He may have been “sacked” a few times, but he also found open receivers and completed difficult throws to Darius Cooper, Jahan Dotson, Grant Calcaterra, and Ainias Smith.
It was the last public-facing look at the Eagles before their Week 1 game vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4, and it was a reminder that maybe the offensive struggles in the previous practices were nothing to fuss about.
It is an offense that has plenty of continuity even with a new coordinator, Kevin Patullo; a new quarterbacks coach, Scot Loeffler; and a new starting right guard, Tyler Steen. It’s an offense that’s also probably expected to have Brown — who was sprinting on the field before Tuesday’s practice — and DeVonta Smith at full strength for the Dallas game. They are plug-and-play receivers who need little warmup time with their quarterback.
Plus, training camp, Hurts said, is about trying new things and expanding the repertoire, and so “you take the highs with the lows.”
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Patullo, Hurts said, has put an emphasis on some things he wants to see.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean it will come to light out of the gate,” Hurts said. “It may come to light in the last half of the season or maybe even the playoffs. It’s just about building, and I think we did just that.
“I think we had a really good offseason and a really good training camp, being able to just build on the foundation that we’ve established over the years. I think we’re headed in a good direction and we just want to continue to build. You want to try to find an identity. I’m not saying we’re leaving here with an identity, but we know what we’re capable of, and we know the things that we need to work on.”
What about the lack of cohesion? Has it made it difficult to get into a rhythm?
“I think it’s all-encompassing,” Hurts said. “It’s all 11 on the field playing in true synchronization and trying to go out there and execute whatever play is called. That starts up front, knowing what the expectation is, when the ball is getting out, if it’s a longer developing route, and then how we’re executing our route fundamentals out wide, creating space, and just building. I can’t say it’s necessarily been a bad thing. It’s been a good challenge for all of us, and I think it’ll make us better.”
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Injuries have meant that Hurts has had more time to work and connect with players further down the depth chart. He may not often throw passes to Cooper or Ainias Smith, but he’s spent more of this camp working with those two than he may have if not for injuries to his star receivers. A mic’d-up segment on the Eagles’ social media channels showed Hurts coaching up backup running back Will Shipley on how he ran a route.
“My process has evolved on what I expect from training camp,” Hurts said. “Over the years, it’s just become more and more about winning, and I know that is a very broad thing and it takes everyone. It takes truly everyone.
“When it comes to having a new offensive play-caller and an offensive coordinator, you take all of those things into consideration. When you’re filling in voids in any position, you take all of those things into consideration. When you’re trying to build a new identity or establish something new, you take all of those things into consideration. So I make it about the initiative [Patullo] has in store, the initiative Coach Sirianni has in store, and just try to push that and thrive among that. Then I know when the season comes it’s about finding ways to win, truly, and that’s something I’ve embraced, and I think the team is beginning to embrace that more and more.”