Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Jalen Hurts

Thursday, July 2, 6:00 AM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has played with a different offensive coordinator in each of the past four seasons, and in that time he has not finished below QB8 despite playing only one full 17-game slate. With the team set to trot out its fifth playcaller in as many years, Hurts could see new parts of his game unlocked under first-time coordinator Sean Mannion. The expectation is that the seventh-year quarterback will operate more from under center, opening up the potential for more play-action passing and bootleg runs. While the loss of three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown undoubtedly makes the offense worse on paper, there are reportedly some within the building who believe the unit will run smoother without him, and the team did an admirable job of retooling the position on the fly, adding Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks through free agency and trade before spending a first-round pick on difference-making slot receiver Makai Lemon. After an aggressive 2025 campaign to ban the tush push fell two votes short of passing, the subject was not broached in this year's owners' meeting, and while Hurts' rushing touchdowns fell below double digits last season for the first time since his rookie year, he remains one of the most likely quarterbacks to lead the position in goal-line scores. At RotoBaller's QB6, Hurts still boasts top-five upside at a modest discount.