The Evolution of Jalen Hurts: Part 2

This is the second of a series of posts, breaking down how Jalen Hurts has dramatically improved his game since he joined the league. Each category focuses on a specific type of mistake he used to make—and how he’s grown past it. The whole series will be linked to an episode of my podcast, which you can find here. I have a huge thank you to James Foster (one of the best analysts out there) for providing me with old Hurts’ film and for helping with this series. Go and follow him and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Part 2 – Dropping Dimes – The Rise of Hurts’ Touch Passing
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how Jalen Hurts learned to stop forcing the issue outside of structure. In part 2, I’m going to look at one of the more underrated, yet arguably more impressive areas of his growth, his development as a touch passer.

Touch throws are one of the most underappreciated and underdeveloped aspects of quarterback play. We tend to obsess over arm talent: velocity, raw strength, throwing angles, and how far a guy can launch it off-platform. Those traits are easy to spot on film and even easier to showcase at pro days. How many times have we seen viral clips on social media from a quarterback’s pro day when he launches it off platform? But what often gets the ability to layer a ball over defenders with control, especially in the intermediate parts of the field. In a league where nearly every defense is playing some variation of match zone, those gaps between hook defenders and the secondary have become the most contested, and one of the most valuable, parts of the field to target.

Touch throws are so difficult because the margin for error is slim. Too much air under the ball and it’s a gift for a closing safety; too little, and a linebacker tips it or picks it. The risk of interceptions makes coaches cautious, and for young quarterbacks, it’s often safer to avoid those throws entirely. But the upside is massive. In today’s NFL, mastering touch is a necessity for playing at a high level. When the NFL was more of a matchup-driven league, with man coverage far more prevalent, quarterback success hinged on precise ball placement beat tight man-to-man windows. Obviously, this still matters, but layering passes into zone voids is just as crucial in today’s world of zone defense.

Early in his career, Hurts struggled mightily to layer throws over defenders. Ironically, this was something that Carson Wentz, who Jalen Hurts obviously replaced, struggled with too. Too many 15–20 yard throws would hang in the air, die on him mid-flight, or come out flat. Defenders had time to recover and make plays on the ball. Sometimes it looked like he just didn’t have the juice or the control to fit passes into that delicate space between linebackers and safeties. I questioned his arm strength frequently in his first couple of years in the league.

You see this clearly with his film. Let’s take a look at some clips of Hurts from 2020-21. It’s pretty rough. Just watch the 1st set of clips.

You can see a couple of examples where Hurts just can’t get the ball over a zone-dropping linebacker. This was common in his film. You watch it back now, and it’s hard to imagine that being the same quarterback who consistently drops layered touch passes over defenders today. You can watch clips from 2020 and 2021, then flip on recent film, and it’s like you’re watching a different passer. Have a look at the 2nd set of clips.

My word. There’s some high level throws there. What’s striking about the first example here against the Giants is that Hurts is not set. He’s making that throw out-of-structure. That is incredibly difficult!

Seriously, look at the comparison in the two throws against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Are we sure this is the same quarterback?

This is probably my favorite example of the lot. Hurts doesn’t even attempt, let alone complete, this pass early on his career. It’s a textbook example of touch and precision working together. Not every throw has to be a rocket.

Completion percentage tells part of the story (Hurts jumped from 52% in limited rookie action to over 68% last season). But it’s not just about completion percentage. It’s about how he’s completing these passes and the types of throws he is attempting. Quarterbacks don’t often make this kind of leap in accuracy. The rare examples, such as Josh Allen, stand out because the jump is so dramatic

Hurts has become a much more refined, deliberate passer than many expected. Many in the media don’t acknowledge the improvement he’s made in these areas. Hence the need for this series! The splashy, out-of-structure stuff is still there, as we highlighted in part one, but the subtle touch throws that require a high level of skill are now all over his film.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.