National Football League

Justin Fields continues to draw comparisons to Jalen Hurts, but are they valid?

Published Aug. 18, 2023 9:05 p.m. ET

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is among the potential budding star signal-callers in the NFL, but could the third-year player actually be on a similar career path as Philadelphia Eagles superstar QB Jalen Hurts?

An NFL executive recently told FanBuzz, "There's no reason why [Fields] can't be a poor-man's Jalen Hurts." Such a comparison derives from both players being among the sport's best rushing quarterbacks while also flashing the ability to strike on deep balls.

Hurts, who helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl last season, averaged 772 rushing yards and 11.5 rushing touchdowns across his first two full seasons as the team's starter (2021-22). Meanwhile, Fields ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on an NFL-best 7.1 yards per carry last season.

Still, LeSean McCoy opined that Fields isn't in Hurts' weight class on Friday's edition of "Speak."

"They're not in the same ballpark," McCoy said. "Jalen Hurts has the ability to take his team to the Super Bowl. He almost won the MVP. Justin Fields has never even thrown for 300 yards in a game. … Don't compare them."

Hurts totaled 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 101.5 passer rating while completing 66.5% of his passes last season. He followed that with not a single interception in the postseason. Despite ultimately losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, Hurts finished the title game with 304 passing yards and four combined touchdowns (three rushing and one passing). He also earned a $255 million extension from the Eagles this offseason that will keep him with the team through 2028.

As for Fields' production in the air last season, he totaled 2,242 passing yards with 17 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 60.4% of his passes and had an 85.2 passer rating.

James Jones also disagreed with Fields being compared to Hurts — but for a much different reason. In Jones' view, Fields is more talented than Hurts.

"This is disrespectful to Justin Fields," Jones said of the comparison. "We talk about arm talent — his arm talent is better than Jalen Hurts'. He's faster, more explosive. His running ability is better than Jalen Hurts'. He does not have A.J. Brown. He does not have DeVonta Smith. He does not have Dallas Goedert. He does not have that offensive line in front of him. He did not have Miles Sanders last year.

"Justin Fields at the quarterback position is more of a talent than Jalen Hurts … but he does not have that team around him to have the team success."

Is Justin Fields a "poor-man's Jalen Hurts"?

The Eagles were a well-oiled machine across the board last season, averaging 389.1 total yards and 28.1 points (both third in the NFL) per game. Defensively, they surrendered 301.5 yards (second) and 20.2 points (eighth) per game. On the other hand, the Bears averaged just 130.5 passing yards (last) and surrendered 27.2 points (last) per game. They lost their last 10 games and finished the season 3-14.

Chicago beefed up its roster on offense in the offseason, adding wide receiver DJ Moore, tight end Robert Tonyan and tackle Darnell Wright — the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft — among other players. So Fields should have more talent around him this season. Will his stats reflect that?

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