Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media last Wednesday, along with general manager Howie Roseman and vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl. There were a ton of questions asked and a lot of filler, but there were some answers that raised at least a few eyebrows.
Sirianni spoke with a ton of energy, revealed that he tested the competitiveness of potential draft picks by playing rock, paper, scissors and Jeopardy with them, and declined to anoint Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback. Though Twitter and talk radio had some fun with the rock, paper, scissors stuff, that last part is what received the most attention.
But do those comments from Sirianni really mean anything? Is not naming a second-year quarterback (who was definitely not drafted to be the starter in 2021) the starter in April really a big deal? Probably not. But the way that both Roseman and Sirianni avoided the question without even really praising Hurts has some at least a little suspicious. Let’s start with exactly what was said.
Here’s the full exchange, which was sparked by a question from Jeff McLane (Sirianni’s answer is at the bottom, and the red emphasis to the Roseman quote is mine):
Q. Howie, why did you trade back from No. 6 and what does it have to do with the quarterback situation there, and are we to take this as QB Jalen Hurts is now the starter of this team? (Jeff McLane)
HOWIE ROSEMAN: The reason we traded back from 6 to 12 was because flexibility creates opportunity. And for us, having an extra first-round pick, when you go back and look at things that are hard to acquire, that is one of the hardest things to acquire is a team’s first-round pick in the following year and to move back six spots.
But what we really had to do is sit there and go, ‘Who are the 12 players in this draft we would feel really good about? Are there 12 players in this draft that we feel really good about?’ And I think that’s what we’re going to do throughout this draft.
If you move back, it’s because you feel like you have a bunch of guys that are the same value, and you’d be really happy getting one and getting the extra volume from that pick. If you move up, it’s because your board kind of drops off at that point. And if you select it’s because you feel like it’s the last player in that sort of range.
When we discussed this, I think those were really the things we were discussing about moving back, and when you’re moving back early, you have to feel like you’re getting a premium, and we felt like we were getting a premium to do that.
What was the second part of the question?
Q. Yeah, how it relates to the quarterbacks in that maybe you wouldn’t have gotten one at No. 6, and are we to take this as an endorsement of Jalen Hurts as the starter for next season? (Jeff McLane)
HOWIE ROSEMAN: Well, I’d say that when we get the call and we’re having the discussions with Miami and we’ve got to figure out who they’re trading with to be able to answer their question whether we would move back. So once we found out that it was San Francisco, we knew that three quarterbacks were going to be off the board in the first three picks.
So it allowed us to lock in even more on who the guys would be that would be available at 12. Like we talked about when we had our last media opportunity, we’re going to evaluate every player, and nothing is off the table.
Q. And Hurts? We didn’t get an answer on Hurts. Or maybe Nick can answer that. (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: To name any starters at this particular time, we’ve been working with these guys for two days, right? We’ve been working with these guys for two days. My biggest thing is competition. Again, we’ve talked a little bit about my core values. It’s my second core value. It’s this team’s second core value. Competition is a huge thing.
So, what does it mean?
Like I said above, it might mean nothing. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both Roseman and Sirianni avoided the question. Even after moving back in the draft from No. 6 to No. 12, I think they are keeping their options open at the position in case something unforeseen happens. If Justin Fields drops to pick No. 7 or 8, for example, do Roseman, Weidl, and the coaching staff like him enough to move up?
Let’s talk about the part of the Roseman quote that I put in red above. He admits that the 49ers moving up and the fact that they knew they were going up to grab a quarterback was part of the consideration. That hasn’t been getting nearly enough attention. If the Eagles were really committed to Hurts being the starter, at least in 2021, then the potential for quarterbacks to be drafted with each of the first three picks in the draft would be irrelevant.
Of course, if the Eagles really were enamored with a quarterback prospect like Fields or Trey Lance, then moving from No. 6 to No. 12 that early in the process was foolish. Yes, they added a first-round pick as part of that deal, which is great. But if they loved one of Fields or Lance but expected him to go to the 49ers at No. 3 and San Francisco takes Mac Jones, then they made a mistake.
We’ll probably never know exactly what they were thinking. But the next few days will be telling.
As for the “competition”
Nick Sirianni said he wants competition at every position. Even if they say differently publicly, the Eagles aren’t expecting 36-year-old Joe Flacco to seriously challenge Jalen Hurts for the starting gig. Was Sirianni just talking out of the side of his mouth because the team signed Flacco and told him he would have a chance to compete? Possibly.
Or is it that the Eagles just wanted to remain vague on their plans for the position to keep their options open? They could add someone in the draft or even trade for someone like DeShaun Watson if his legal troubles are ever resolved in an acceptable manner. Could they make a run at Aaron Rodgers, given his now-public frustration with the Green Bay Packers?
There are a number of scenarios that could play out over the next few days or even the next several weeks. By not committing to Hurts, the Eagles are remaining flexible and avoiding the awkwardness of having to walk back their comments if they change course.
And as Howie Roseman said, flexibility creates opportunity.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
