Eagles’ Lane Johnson says Jalen Hurts ‘carries himself with a lot of poise’ and ‘demands respect’

There has been a lot of smoke this season around the Philadelphia Eagles likely looking to make a change to the quarterback. They’ve been linked in rumors with Russell Wilson, for example, and with three first-round picks in the safes, they had the ammunition to cut a deal if they wanted to.

Of course, things did not turn out that way. The Eagles caught up with Galen Hurts — at least for this year. And Hurts has at least one big fan along his offensive line in the right handling of Lynne Johnson, who sung praise qb this week.

“He carries himself with a lot of poise. I mean, he demands respect,” Johnson said. NFL Total Access. “The way he handles the daily activity, how he trains, what he does in the movie room. He’s a huge motivator. He’s a great leader. (He) is great behind the scenes, even during the summer with a lot of guys. Lots of receivers. Performing 7 in 7. Just doing exemplary work to prepare. I know he’s excited about the new players we’ve drafted and acquired during the sabbatical, and they’re really getting ready to launch.”

Hurts has shown incredible dynamism as a runner so far in his career, rushing 185 times for 1,056 yards and 13 touchdowns in his 19th start. He was a bit less consistent as a passer, though, completing only 59.1% of his throws at an average of 7.2 yards per attempt, with 21 touchdowns for 12 interceptions. The Eagles came out last season with an extreme penchant for passing and didn’t have much success, so they switched to a running attack that seemed more suited to Hurts’ skills, and the attack became more effective.

Having been traded for AJ Brown this season, it looks like Philly wants to take his passing game to another level. Whether or not Hurts is the player to take it remains to be seen. The Eagles still have several first-round picks in the room if Hurts don’t live up to expectations and they want to make a deal or secure a top-ranked passer in next year’s draft.