Eagles Legend Doug Pederson Not Surprised by Jalen Hurts’ Success

Pederson expects Hurts to ‘defy all odds’ in his NFL career originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

There are a lot of people surprised by how well Jalen Hurts has been playing this season.

Doug Pederson isn’t one of them.

Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.

“He’s going to defy all odds,” Pederson said on a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday morning as he prepares for his return to Philly. “That’s just the way his career has been built. He’s overcome adversity everywhere he’s been, at Alabama and Oklahoma.

“Just not surprised. Not surprised that he’s playing this well and he’s playing and really utilizing the guys around him to help him get these wins that they’re piling up.”

Pederson on Sunday will lead his Jaguars (2-1) into the Linc to face Hurts and the Eagles (3-0) in what should be a pretty exciting game. You can argue that two of the biggest storylines in the NFL this year are the resurgent Jags and the MVP-candidate Hurts.

Hurts, 24, spent just one year under Pederson in 2020. He was a second-round pick who began his rookie season as a backup behind Carson Wentz.

It was a strange season for the Eagles for a lot of reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the world and the relationship between Pederson and Wentz deteriorated as Wentz’s play declined. Eventually, Hurts started the final four games of that season. That decision served as a fork in the road for the franchise.

Since then, Pederson was fired, Wentz was traded (twice) and Hurts assumed the QB1 spot in Philly.

But even long before all that, Pederson was impressed by Hurts. Pederson on Wednesday recalled Hurts’ running scout team in 2020 and taking full advantage of the developmental periods after practices on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Earlier this week, Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen praised Hurts’ work ethic. Pederson saw the same thing in Hurts a couple years ago.

“He was the same way,” Pederson said. “He was a sponge, he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He’s a professional and he takes it serious. Those are the things that you want in your quarterback, out of the leader of your team. So there’s no surprise that he’s still doing that.”

Through three games, Hurts has completed 67.3% of his passes for 916 yards with 4 touchdowns and just 1 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 167 yards and 3 more touchdowns.

He’s legitimately vaulted himself into the MVP conversation.

“It just doesn’t surprise me that this is how well he’s playing,” Pederson said. “He’s prepared himself for this.”