National Football League

Will Jalen Hurts, Eagles win NFC East in 2022?

Updated Jul. 28, 2022 4:50 p.m. ET

Can third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts help the Philadelphia Eagles win their first NFC East division title since 2019?

USA Today's Nate Davis recently projected the win-loss totals for every NFL team in the 2022 season, and he has the Eagles winning the NFC East at 11-6.

Given the abundance of young quarterbacks in the sport, the most pressing question concerning Philly is whether Hurts is the long-term answer. Skip Bayless believes so.

"I'm a big fan," Bayless said of Hurts. "I became a fan of his at Oklahoma. You say, ‘What happened at Alabama, why did he get to Oklahoma?' Because [Nick] Saban said, ‘Nope’ and went with Tua [Tagovailoa]. Well, look at Tua now, and look at Jalen now. I think Jalen is proving to be the better NFL quarterback than Tua.

" … I have so much respect for Jalen's intangibles," Bayless added. "This position is mostly played with intangibles more than tangibles. He is not a great thrower of the football, but he's an effective thrower when need be."

Jalen Hurts, Eagles predicted to finish atop the NFC East

USA Today predicts that the Philadelphia Eagles will win the NFC East over the Dallas Cowboys. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe react and determine who will win the division.

Shannon Sharpe, however, isn't sold on Hurts. He cites that skepticism and Dak Prescott being a proven commodity as two reasons the Dallas Cowboys will win the NFC East again.

"The Eagles have a very nice roster, but you know in today's game you can't build a roster good enough if your quarterback is not consistent and good enough," Sharpe said. "And until Jalen Hurts shows me that he can consistently and accurately throw the football, I'm not going to believe in him."

Hurts finished 2021, his first as the Eagles' full-time starting quarterback, with 3,144 passing yards (21st in NFL), 16 passing touchdowns (tied for 23rd), nine interceptions and an 87.2 passer rating (24th), completing just 61.3% of his throws (30th).

He also finished with 784 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on 139 attempts. All three figures were tops among QBs. The Eagles went 9-8 in 2021, good for second in the NFC East and a playoff berth, but they lost a wild-card game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If he improves in 2022, he might have the supporting cast to make it really count under second-year coach Nick Sirianni. Philadelphia was one of the more active NFL teams this offseason, adding wideout A.J. Brown (trade), linebacker Haason Reddick (signing) and cornerback James Bradberry (signing), among others.

The Cowboys, who went 12-5 last year, are looking to become the first NFC East team to repeat as division champs since the 2003-04 Eagles.