Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman declined to name Jalen Hurts the beginning quarterback for the 2021 season during a pre-draft accessibility Wednesday.
“To name any starters at this particular time, we’ve been working with these guys for two days,” Sirianni said. “My biggest thing is competition. We’ve talked a little bit about my core values, [and] it’s my second core value, it’s this team’s second core value. Competition is a huge thing, and we’re going to have competition at every position.”
There are just two quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster at the moment: Hurts and veteran Joe Flacco, who was signed to a one-year deal in March. The team could add another QB in next week’s draft.
Roseman didn’t preclude selecting a quarterback in the first round, even after an trade with the Miami Dolphins that moved the Eagles from the No. 6 to the No. 12 spot in return for a future first-round pick.
“Like we talked about when we had our last media opportunity, we’re going to evaluate every player, and nothing is off the table,” he said.
Roseman added that when the San Francisco 49ers climbed to the third spot, they realized three quarterbacks would be taken with the initial three picks, permitting Philadelphia “to lock in even more on who the guys would be available at 12.” The Eagles have need at different spots, including cornerback and receiver, and ought to have a shot at landing one of the top possibilities at each position with so many quarterbacks being taken early.
Hurts began four games for the Eagles last season following the sidelining of Carson Wentz and gave a spark to the offense prior to cooling off down the stretch. He finished 52% of his passes for 1,061 yards with six scores and four interceptions, and ran for 354 yards and three scores.
