Jalen Hurts MUST Run Again — The Numbers Don't Lie

The Data Is Screaming at Us

Let's lay out the numbers because they tell a story that no amount of spin can obscure.

Jalen Hurts' rushing touchdowns over his first four years as a starter: 10, 13, 15, 14. That's 52 rushing touchdowns in four seasons. An absurd number. A weapon that defenses had to account for on every single snap inside the 20-yard line.

Then came 2024: 8 rushing touchdowns.

That's not a slight dip. That's a 43% drop from his four-year average. And the rushing touchdowns are just the headline — the underlying numbers are even more concerning.

The Full Picture

Rushing yards by season: 784, 760, 605, 630, then 421. Rushing attempts: 139, 165, 157, 150, then 105.

Read those attempt numbers again. Hurts went from consistently carrying the ball 140-165 times per season to just 105. That's a massive, deliberate reduction in his designed runs and scrambles. And the results speak for themselves — the Eagles offense was noticeably less dynamic, less unpredictable, and less dangerous when Hurts wasn't a legitimate running threat.

Why the Reduction?

There's a logical explanation: preservation. Hurts has taken some significant hits over his career, and the concussion concerns are real. The Eagles likely made a conscious decision to reduce his exposure as a runner to protect their $255 million investment. From a risk management perspective, it makes sense on paper.

But here's the problem — Jalen Hurts without the run game is not the same player. Period. Full stop. End of discussion.

His entire offensive identity is built on the dual-threat capability. When defenses have to account for Hurts keeping the ball on RPOs, it opens up the passing game. When linebackers have to respect the QB run, it creates lanes for Saquon Barkley. When the red zone becomes a nightmare because Hurts can tuck it on any snap, the Eagles score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

Take away the run, and you're asking Hurts to be a pure pocket passer. And while he's improved in the pocket, he is not — and may never be — an elite pure pocket quarterback. That's not a knock. That's an honest assessment of his skill set.

The Magic Number: 150

If the Eagles want to compete for a championship in 2025, Hurts needs to get back to 150 rushing attempts. That's the number. That's the threshold where his dual-threat ability genuinely changes the math for opposing defensive coordinators.

At 105 attempts, you can play him like a traditional quarterback. You can keep your linebackers in coverage. You can play your base defense in the red zone. You don't have to waste a defender spying the quarterback.

At 150 attempts, everything changes. The run game opens up. The play-action becomes lethal. The red zone becomes a no-man's-land for defenses. The RPO game — the foundation of what made this offense special — comes back to life.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what nobody in the Eagles organization wants to say publicly: if Jalen Hurts won't run, change is coming. That's not a threat — it's simple football economics. You don't pay a quarterback $255 million to be an average pocket passer when his elite trait is his ability to run.

The Eagles didn't build this roster around a Tom Brady-style quarterback. They built it around a dynamic, mobile, dual-threat player who creates chaos with his legs and makes defenses wrong on every read-option snap. If that player no longer exists, then the roster construction doesn't match the quarterback, and something has to give.

The Path Forward

This isn't about asking Hurts to be reckless. It's about smart, designed runs. It's about reading the option correctly and keeping it when the defense gives you the lane. It's about being willing to scramble when the first and second reads aren't there instead of taking a sack or forcing a throw.

Sean Manion, as the new offensive coordinator, needs to make the quarterback run game a priority. Parks Frazier, as the new QB coach, needs to rebuild Hurts' confidence and willingness to use his legs. And Hurts himself needs to buy in completely.

The numbers don't lie. Running Jalen Hurts is a top-five NFL quarterback. Non-running Jalen Hurts is a middle-of-the-pack starter. The Eagles are paying for the former. They need to get him back.