Alabama football coach Nick Saban believes Philadelphia is the perfect landing spot for new Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles took Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and Saban believes Hurts can thrive in the City of Brotherly Love because of head coach Doug Pederson's tendency to work in run-pass options and “move the pocket” (via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network):
Article Continues Below“I think there are a lot of quarterbacks that are having success in the NFL that are outside the old-fashioned prototype dropback passer that are having success,” Saban said. “Jalen has proven that he can win at the position. He won here, he won at Oklahoma. It’s a different style of play, maybe. I think Philly is really good at this. They threw some RPO type plays, moved the pocket a little bit when Foles had to play and had a lot of success doing that. I think Jalen can play that style really well.”
Saban coached Hurts when he quarterbacked the Crimson Tide prior to transferring to Oklahoma for the 2019 season. He is plenty aware of the dynamic athlete Hurts can be under center, hence his note about these abnormal quarterback archetypes having success.
Hurts completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for close to 4,000 yards while also rushing for nearly 1,300 yards at Oklahoma. He would almost certainly be a weapon in RPO and in read option looks, and he could thrive under Pederson's tutelage.
The Eagles are committed to Carson Wentz as the starting quarterback, but Hurts can line up all over the field, and he also provides some insurance in the event Wentz gets injured.