Under Shane  Steichen in 2022, Jalen Hurts unleashed one of the most beautiful deep throws you’ll ever see—that pinpoint 45-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith against the Commanders. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky broke down the film, saying it was “absolute perfection,” praising Hurts for freezing the safety, climbing into the throw, and dropping it right in the bucket. That moment didn’t just light up the stat sheet—it announced Hurts as a true vertical threat.

Fast forward to 2024, and the magic was muted under Kellen  Moore’s offense. Week 1 in Brazil against Green Bay was a perfect case: Hurts finished 18-of-22 on those quick passes but struggled deep—just 2-for-7 on deeper targets, and two interceptions. The scheme leaned heavily short, built around Saquon Barkley’s dominance and play-action pacing, turning Hurts into a game manager more than a dynamic playmaker. He was efficient, but that arm?

He did pile up nearly 3,000 yards, but it wasn’t being showcased. In many fans’ eyes, Hurts became the offense’s weak link—not because he stopped winning, but because he stopped shining. And now that Moore is off to New Orleans for his head coaching gig, at least one Eagles legend believes that it’s a blessing in disguise. We’re talking about the ex-Eagles’ quarterback and Hurts’ mentor, Donovan McNabb.

McNabb recently sat down on The Ross Tucker Podcast, where he talked about how Hurts has played under multiple offenses, and how he never got comfortable in Kellen Moore’s offense. “First of all, he (Jalen) hasn’t truly got comfortable in Kellen Moore’s offense,” McNabb observed. “Like Kellen hasn’t built that rapport with him where he understands, ‘Okay, I know your strengths. I know, we’re going to attack downfield,’ which Jalen is a downfield thrower.”

“Everything that they’ve been throwing has been intermediate or or quick game. So yeah, you put up numbers and and stats, and you know, you look great, but you got to attack with what you have. And they haven’t done that because you got 26 (Barkley) back there.” Many argued that Moore’s offense favored Barkley, which, if we’re being real, benefited the Eagles.

By midseason, the Eagles were among the most run-heavy teams, carrying the ball early on 60% of downs—mostly through Barkley, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry on first down and 6.5 yards on second. The back racked up 925 yards through eight games and finished with over 2,500 total yards, including playoffs. Jalen Hurts added another layer to Moore’s offense. You could feel optimism in his statement, but the thing is that he never got comfortable with that offense.

“You get to a point where you feel, I’m going to be comfortable with this, I like this, that time comes when you can rep it, rep it, rep it later on, but right now it’s been a lot of new inventory in — the majority of it, probably 95% of it being new — and so it’s just been that process, and it’s been a fun process because you get to see what works for other people,” Hurts said. Moore prioritized gap and zone runs, motion, and play-action—creating space and leveraging Barkley’s explosiveness.

Meanwhile, many argued that Hurts thrives in RPOs and deep timing games, but he got minimal deep opportunities, 95% of the offense was new, and Moore’s scheme favored quick-processing QBs and motion-heavy play design. Long story short: Jalen Hurts had a successful season. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. But he never got comfortable under Moore’s offense, per Donovan McNabb.

Jalen Hurts is a “Winner”—Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb knows a thing or two about Jalen Hurts, as he mentored him ever since he was drafted by the Eagles. His strength, his run-game ability, his deep-throwing ability, you name it. But the Eagles’ legend believes that it’s not the stats or fancy numbers that make Hurts a great quarterback. Nope. In fact, the quarterback can adapt to any offensive system. When asked what he thinks of Hurts, McNabb straight-up called the Super Bowl MVP a winner.

“Very first thing I bring up about him—winner. Winner,” he said. “Um, and it’s not about the stats. It’s it, and he’s the same way, like, I’ve talked to him and have mentored him since he was drafted. And the thing about Jalen that people don’t understand is he’s been in a handful of different offenses through his college career and now in the NFL.” Let’s understand it straight-up.

Since his freshman year at Alabama, Jalen Hurts had played under 11 play-callers in his nine seasons at the college and professional level. It all started in Alabama, where he worked under a rotating door of five different OCs in three seasons. Lane Kiffin & Steve Sarkisian in 2016, then Brian Daboll & Mike Locksley in 2017, followed by Locksley & Josh Gattis in 2018. Each brought a different philosophy—West Coast, spread, short-passing.

It helped the QB learn multiple styles and absorb traits from each. “I’ve had a lot (of offensive coordinators), and I think it’s a good things, I think it’s a positive,” he said before arriving in the NFL. Then Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, where he played under Lincoln Riley. Riley was the one OC who tailored an offense perfectly to his strengths. And logic tracks. Hurts recorded the best season of his career. 3,851 passing yards, 32 TDs, 1,298 rushing yards, and 20 rushing TDs, setting the stage for his NFL career.

He made it to the NFL, but the carousel of play-callers continued. He started under Doug Pederson, showed flashes, but lacked experience. This was the start of the revolving door of coordinators. In his second year, Nick Sirianni initially continued calling plays, but handed over the job to Shane Steichen. A good decision? Absolutely. Hurts thrived under Steichen’s system, completing over 60% passes and piling up a couple of 3,000+ (3,144 and 3,701, respectively) yard seasons.

Steichen was the only OC to have two straight seasons as Hurts’ OC in the NFL. Then came Brian Johnson, and everything went south. The Eagles stumbled, Hurts logged 15 interceptions, and energy collapsed late, closing the year on a 1–5 skid. Fast forward to 2024, and Kellen Moore became the 11th play-caller of Jalen Hurts’ football career. So, when Donovan McNabb said that Hurts is a winner, not because of stats but because he played under different offenses, he wasn’t just talking the talk.