Over the past few years, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has had the luxury of playing behind future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, whose knowledge and veteran experience played a big impact on the offense. And now, he’s going to have to adjust and take on some new responsibilities.
During a recent press conference, Jalen Hurts admitted that he was told “not to worry about a lot of things” like identifying pass rushers and making protection calls at the line of scrimmage because Jason Kelce would handle it. But with Kelce gone, he understands he has to take on a bit more responsibility, which excites him.
“I think it’s a different approach in some areas, in some facets,” Hurts said according to Pro Football Talk. “I think Cam Jurgens has really done a really good job in just taking that role on and taking on the responsibilities of what comes with leading that group. I think in the end when you look at this upcoming season and what you have seen in years past, it’s just different autonomy in different places. We had a great player in Jason Kelce who took on a lot of responsibility and as a result of that I was told not to worry about a lot of things. And so my eagerness to learn over the years kind of was halted because of who we had, but now times are different and I’m excited for that journey and this opportunity.”
We’ll have to see how Hurts adjusts to these new responsibilities, but it’s pretty clear that Hurts and the Eagles are going to miss Kelce in more ways than one.