Alabama Football: Jalen Hurts deserves a chance to start

Alabama football should have two alumni starting at quarterback.

When Jalen Hurts left the Alabama football program, he retained all support from Crimson Tide fans. Even when he played at Oklahoma, they wanted him to succeed. He now has supporters from across the country as he is the backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. His supporters agree that it is time for him to start.

This is not just the blind support of a favored athlete. There is a lot that goes into this decision, and most of it leans towards Jalen Hurts getting a chance. For starters, let’s look at how the Eagles are doing. They are 3-5-1 this year, with two of their wins coming against divisional rivals. Carson Wentz has as many passing touchdowns as interceptions, and he has been sacked 35 times. There are many things going wrong for the Eagles, but Wentz is certainly not helping matters.

Also, Jalen Hurts has done well with his limited snaps. They have used him in a role similar to Taysom Hill where he plays like a wildcat quarterback. He has his own issues with fumbling, but he’s not doing worse than Carson Wentz. He has only thrown two passes, but he proved with both Alabama football and Oklahoma that he can improve as a passer.

Hurts was also drafted early by the Eagles. When you draft a quarterback in the second round, you expect him to do more than run the ball once or twice a game. The Eagles have real problems across the roster. They can’t be cute with their draft selections. If you decide that you need Jalen Hurts, you need to play him.

All of this points towards giving Jalen Hurts the opportunity to start. However, there are some reasons that the Eagles will wait to make that call. For starters, Carson Wentz is on a massive contract. They have put a lot of capital into Wentz, and they will do whatever it takes to let him succeed. The Eagles are also first in their division. If the NFC East was competent enough that a 3-5-1 team would be out of NFL playoff contention, this decision would definitely be easier.

Regardless, Jalen Hurts needs to get a shot. He did great things with Alabama football. He did great things with the Sooners. Philly fans should believe that he will do great things if he starts for the Eagles. I doubt that this will happen, but the situation points towards him at least getting more snaps. Once he proves himself as a passer in the NFL, Philly’s hand will be forced.