Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts is often on the receiving end of outside criticism, despite the fact that all he seems to do is take care of the football and win games for Philadelphia.
Hurts always handles himself exceedingly well in the face of such criticisms, so he doesn’t necessarily need help when it comes to dealing with detractors, but he has some anyway. Former Eagles safety and franchise legend Malcolm Jenkins recently defended Hurts while explaining why the extreme success that the quarterback has experienced in Philadelphia isn’t surprising.
Malcolm Jenkins isn’t here for the Jalen Hurts slander
“I think in watching him as an opponent, and as a fan, there is nobody else who’s more equipped to be in the position that he’s in right now,” Jenkins said of Hurts, via ESPN. “I’ve watched quarterbacks and players my whole career, not many could be in the seat that he’s in. I recognized that very early, and I think it’s no surprise that he’s standing here now a Super Bowl champion, still leading one of the best teams in the National Football League, all while holding all of it on his shoulders.”
Jenkins used an analogy involving a bus driver to illustrate and explain how central Hurts is to Philadelphia’s success, even when his contributions aren’t understood or appreciated by others.
“He’s the one driving. He’s got his hands on the wheels,” Jenkins said. “He’s looking for all of the hazards. He’s the one getting us to the destination. And a lot of us are in the backseat complaining about how bumpy a ride is, how close we got to almost crashing.
“And really it’s up to him to keep his focus and block it all out because he’s in that position. And I think that’s really what leadership is about, it’s like, hey, if you’re the one with the hands on the wheel, everybody’s allowed an opinion, it’s fine, but your focus has to be on the main thing, and that’s getting us to where we’re going,”
It’s funny that Jenkins mentioned the “main thing” in his analogy, because “keeping the main thing the main thing” has become Hurts’ de facto motto over the years, and for Hurts, the main thing is winning – something few have done more than him over the past half-decade.
In his four full seasons as the starting QB in Philly, Hurts has led the Eagles to two Super Bowls and won one. He personally played well enough to win the other one, too, but that’s another story. He’s also compiled a regular season record of 54-23 as a starter, which correlates to a win percentage of over 70.
“I’m a big fan of Jalen, not only because of my personal relationship, but just because of what he stands for and understanding myself what it looks like to have a vision for a team, something that maybe not everybody sees, but I have to stand 10 toes down on it until everybody sees what I see,” Jenkins added of Hurts.
While Hurts assuredly appreciates the props from a former teammate, he’s made it resoundingly clear that he isn’t swayed by the opinions of others, either good or bad. He’s solely focused on helping the Eagles win football games, and doing whatever it takes to do so.
From an outside perspective though, it’s nice to see that there are people who appreciate Hurts’ greatness and what he brings to the team without fixating on his counting stats or shortcomings.
NFL Trade Pitch Lands Ex-Steelers QB Kenny Pickett Back in NFC East
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan named the Dallas Cowboys a potential landing spot for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett has made his return to the AFC North this preseason. However, it’s possible he could be back in the NFC East before the start of the 2025 NFL regular season.
That’s what CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan theorized Tuesday. Sullivan named the Dallas Cowboys a potential trade landing spot for Pickett.
“Joe Flacco is officially QB1 in Cleveland. That now leaves Pickett along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in reserve roles behind him,” Sullivan wrote. “In theory, the Browns could elect to keep all four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but that’s a lofty number. If they don’t want to do that and want to continue developing both Gabriel (a third-round pick) and Sanders (fifth), Pickett suddenly becomes the odd man out.
“The Cowboys could be in the QB2 market after Joe Milton III has endured a hot-and-cold preseason where he’s thrown interceptions in both exhibitions.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday that Pickett is making progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury. But with trade rumors continuing to swirl, Pickett won’t play in Week 3 of the preseason.
That means Pickett will have missed the entire exhibition season. He’s been mostly sidelined for almost a month.
The Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent two years in Pittsburgh before getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kenny Pickett Ruled Out for Browns Preseason Finale
Pickett suffered his hamstring injury during training camp on July 26. Since then, he’s only practiced in limited fashion.
The Browns acquired Pickett from the Eagles in March 2025. Cleveland sent fellow quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round choice to Philadelphia in the deal.
Pickett entered the offseason confident he could win the starting job in Cleveland. But since acquiring the 2022 first-rounder, the Browns signed Joe Flacco and drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Stefanski named Flacco the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 on Monday.
Pundits have argued that with Flacco as the team’s starter, keeping Pickett now will only block the rookie quarterbacks from receiving opportunities. That could make Pickett a trade candidate before the NFL’s roster cutdown day on August 26.
The Browns have yet to name who will serve as the team’s backup quarterback to begin the regular season. If Pickett doesn’t win that role, he is even more likely to be a trade candidate.
Could Pickett Have a Trade Market?
The Cowboys potentially make sense for Pickett because he could have a role in front of Joe Milton III. But Dallas isn’t the only team who might be interested in an experienced backup signal-caller.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed the Browns send Pickett to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2026 sixth-rounder.
“The Browns may have only just acquired Kenny Pickett earlier in the offseason for a fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but they might already be looking to salvage some value from a potential failed trade,” wrote Kay.
“With Pickett dealing with injuries during training camp—and failing to distinguish himself in the Browns’ high-profile four-man QB positional battle when healthy—his time in Cleveland could be extremely limited.”
In Minnesota, Pickett could provide the Vikings an option with some experience behind first-year starter J.J. McCarthy.
Pickett is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He possesses about a $2.6 million guaranteed salary this season. But that isn’t predicted to be a factor in Cleveland’s final quarterback decisions.
If Pickett is traded before the regular season, it will be the third time he is dealt in the last 18 months.
