Eagles OC Kellen Moore likes the advantages gained from using Jalen Hurts in the run game

As part of the changes after last year’s poor finish, the Eagles hired Kellen Moore to be their offensive coordinator, replacing Brian Johnson.   In a press conference over the weekend, Moore noted that quarterback Jalen Hurts has been “really smooth” in operating the offense early on in training camp.  “You can just tell he’s in command, he’s in control. He’s doing an excellent job at the line of scrimmage with the little nuances, little adjustments that he has at his disposal, and so it’s been really good,” Moore said.

Moore is now Hurts’ third OC in the last three years, following now Colts head coach Shane Steichen and Johnson. Moore called plays for Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert in that same span and said it’s been a “great process” tailoring the scheme to Hurts’ skillset.  Hurts has been a “huge part” of that process, Moore said.

“I think his experience over the course of the last few years, all the things he’s been able to accomplish, we want to build on those things,” Moore said. “When there’s a comfort level with a certain concept or scheme, we want to make sure we emphasize that, continue to build off it.

“OK, now if this is a core play that we feel really great about, how can we compliment that play? How can we protect it with a different presentation, a different look? Those are the fun conversations we get to have because we’re continuing to build this thing each and every day.”

Included in that is Hurts as a runner. The quarterback’s rushing numbers were down in 2023, as he tallied 605 yards after going for 784 in 2021 and 760 in 2022. But he did have a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns with several coming from the team’s “Brotherly shove” play.

“Yeah, certainly it’s been an excellent factor that Jalen has been able to utilize just being an extra guy in the run game. Certainly, something we want to continue to build off of,” Moore said. “I think there is an element of just finding the games, finding the situations that are right to best suit when we utilize that.

“But it’s a great strength of Jalen. He does an excellent job and he’s a really smart runner. I think that’s a critical factor to that, that he’s smart with the ball, he’s smart with when to make those decisions, and I think he protects himself pretty well.”  Hurts completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 3,858 yards with 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2023.