Jalen Hurts talks about building more chemistry with Jahan Dotson and others

The Eagles were wrapping up their offseason program on Tuesday, and quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters before leaving the complex. He talked about working with another new play caller, how it’s been to get more work with some of the depth players, and how Saquon Barkley is and should attack the offseason.

Here’s some of what the QB had to say:

On working with Kevin Patullo
Hurts talked about how he’s adjusting to new OC Kevin Patullo as the playcaller.

“I’ve treated this offseason like I’ve treated every offseason. Coming in and trying to learn as much as I can, trying to develop that chemistry with the playcaller. And as offensive leadership changes, you have to find ways to — not really about finding ways, it’s more so about depositing time into it. I spend a lot of time. So, we’ve had some valuable conversations that I think will help us all in the end.

And, of course, he’s already had a mark on all of the teams since Coach Sirianni and himself have been here. So, we’re just building. Far from where we want to be, but trying to build that and trying to continue to grow.”

The QB went on to say that Patullo has had a hand in the offense the past few years, but now he’ll have the final say as the coordinator. In that regard, Hurts said the OC is doing a good job, but at the same time, the QB’s job is to find success regardless of who is calling plays.

Hurts admitted that he’s had a different play caller every year, so he’s gotten better and evolved in the process of acclimating to new leadership. As he’s collected more information and seen different successes and failures over the years, he’s been able to approach things more effectively.

On having more time with Jahan Dotson

“I think that time has been valuable. It’s been valuable working with Jahan [Dotson], working with Terrace Marshall — he made a lot of big plays this offseason —, Dallas [Goedert], Grant [Calcaterra], Harrison [Bryant]. Everyone — Saquon [Barkley] out there. Everyone who was able to go and available, working with them and taking advantage of that, that was big.

I think that’s important for developing that chemistry, and we all know the season can go any type of way, and so just making sure you kind of can have a foundation of some sort with everyone is important. And then I’ve also had the conversation with Coach Patullo of who’s available matters, but ultimately it’s about how we put them in a position to do what we’re going to do.”

On Saquon Barkley
Hurts was asked what Saquon Barkley can do this offseason to elevate his game even higher, and the QB pointed to Barkley just staying consistent, something the RB already does really well.

He went on to say that Barkley added a new dynamic to the offense and compliments the other pieces really well. The RB works hard, and they need him to just keep being himself.

Regardless of how other teams throughout the league might try to adjust and limit Barkley, Hurts pointed out that defenses still have to pick their poison. They just have to execute and players need to be prepared to make the most of whatever opportunity comes their way.

Other notables

Hurts was very complimentary of new QB coach Scot Loeffler, saying that he came in talking about wanting to help Hurts elevate his game to the next level. He’s gone through a lot of different quarterback coaches and he’s learned to be a sponge and soak in different insights from different guys.
He mentioned that he’s spoken with both Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter about what it takes to repeat and win back-to-back championships.
The quarterback noted it’s too early to glean anything about this year’s roster, but some of the depth players got experience and that’s really valuable, especially long term.
Despite going to the Super Bowl, it didn’t affect his turnaround for training and offseason regimen — he reiterated that playing late into the season didn’t affect his routine “this time.” Hurts admitted that part of the reason he got right back to work is to keep his sanity and to begin fine-tuning the things he wants to work on.