Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google For a good portion of the offseason, the chatter around the Eagles revolved around AJ Brown, who is now with the Patriots.
Even the joint practice between the two teams during training camp reignited conversations about the dynamic between Jalen Hurts and Brown.
With that storyline fully behind them now, the Eagles head into the 2026 NFL season as the favorites to win the NFC East and the third favorite to win the conference.
They brought in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to revamp an offense that ranked 19th in scoring last season after being a top-10 scoring unit for the previous three seasons.
Wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks were brought in to replace Brown’s production in the passing game, but this Eagles team performs best when the running game is working.
Arguably the best thing that happened to the Eagles in the offseason is the league allowing the tush-push to remain a legal play. Hurts is one of the league’s strongest running quarterbacks and is essentially money in goal-line situations behind his offensive line.
Since Hurts became a full-time starter in 2021, he has scored double-digit rushing touchdowns in all but one season and led all NFL players in red zone touchdowns in 2023 and 2024.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, right, walks with quarterback Jalen Hurts (center) during practice. AP Photo/Chris Szagola Last season that number dipped to eight rushing touchdowns as his attempts dropped significantly. In his first four seasons as a starter, Hurts averaged 152.8 rushing attempts per season, but that number fell to 105 in 2025.
If the Eagles hope to return to their past offensive success, they’ll need to tap into Hurts’ dual-threat ability at quarterback. The Eagles’ passing game may take time to develop, but running the football should be a focus for Mannion from the start.
Catch up on The Post’s NFL betting previews and predictions for the 2026 season
I expect the Eagles will learn from their mistakes last season and put Hurts in position to boost his rushing attempts back up to the 150 range. If he does, he should get back to scoring 10-plus touchdowns on the ground this season.
DraftKings is dangling Hurts’ 10-plus rushing touchdown prop at plus money, and I think there’s a ton of value in taking the Over on that bet.
The Play: Jalen Hurts 10 or more rushing touchdowns (+150, DraftKings)
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
