PHILADELPHIA -- The work Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts put in over the past several months has been shining through during the team's offseason training program, according to coach Nick Sirianni.
"I'm noticing a big difference," he told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "What I see is a crisper ball. The accuracy I've been very pleased with. You can just see him taking strides every single day with his accuracy because of the fundamentals he has with his feet and his upper body."
Hurts spent a portion of the offseason with quarterback trainers in Southern California, focusing primarily on his footwork and release. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said the results are showing up in the quickness of his drop and the timing of his throws.
It helps, too, that Hurts is in the same offensive system for consecutive seasons for the first time since high school.
"That's been very pivotal going into the offseason ... just being decisive out there on the field, knowing pretty much where I'm going to go with the ball based off the look that they give me," Hurts said. "There's a natural maturation there, as I've always talked about."
Hurts, 23, led the Eagles to the postseason in his first year as a full-time starter in 2021, throwing for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while leading all quarterbacks in rushing yards (784) and rushing touchdowns (10). He ranked 26th in completion percentage (61.3) and averaged the longest time to throw (3.1 seconds) of any qualifying quarterback, however. Philadelphia switched to a ground-heavy attack around the midway point of the season and finished first in rushing (160 yards per game) and 25th in passing (200 YPG).
"We want that to come up," Sirianni said of the pass ranking, noting that it takes everyone from the coaches to the tight ends and receivers to help make that happen. The requirement for Hurts is to "make good, quick decisions and having accurate throws."
"It's my job to just go out there and play point guard," Hurts said. "Distribute the ball, get the playmakers the ball, and my plays will come."
Hurts had a good day at the office Friday to cap the first week of Eagles OTAs. The ball was coming out on time and on point for the most part during 7-on-7 drills. He hit on a pair of 40-plus-yard passes to DeVonta Smith and Deon Cain.
His connection with receiver/close friend A.J. Brown needs some polishing, as evidenced by a pair of downfield attempts that didn't sync up.
"The first one I had to break up on [Darius] Slay and the second one I told him, 'Anything you do, just overthrow me, I'm going to clear him late,' as I did, and he overthrew me," Brown said. "We're still working and we're still trying to get on the same page, but we're really heading in the right direction, so it's a positive."
The additions of players like Brown, edge rusher Haason Reddick, cornerback James Bradberry and Georgia rookies Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis have upped the Eagles' odds to win the division and elevated expectations in Philadelphia. Whether those expectations are met hinges largely on the play of Hurts.
"He just has a relentless effort to be great," Steichen said. "He doesn't have an offseason. He's always on it. He's always thinking about football. We're always talking football day in and day out, and he's continuing to grow as a player, as a leader, every single day. Obviously going into Year 2 in the system, the communication has been great with him in meetings. We're not starting from scratch anymore.
"I feel really good where he's at right now, and we're continuing to work on that."