# Will Jalen Hurts be the biggest surprise on the Eagles in 2026?

Here's the short version: **Yes, Jalen Hurts has a real case to be the biggest surprise on the Eagles in 2026 — but it could go either way.**

Let me break down why the experts are split.

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### 📈 The case for a positive surprise

The narrative around Hurts right now is as low as it's been in years. A.J. Brown is gone (traded to New England), he's on his **7th different offensive coordinator in 7 years**, his FantasyPros rank has slipped to **55th overall**, and there's even chatter about the Eagles being willing to move on if he stumbles ([from the Jalen Hurts page](https://chatffb.com/players/jalen-hurts)).

But that's exactly what makes him a surprise candidate. New OC **Sean Mannion** brings a West Coast system (McVay/Shanahan tree) that emphasizes footwork, timing, and pre-snap reads — addressing Hurts' historical weakness against zone coverage. Hurts has praised Mannion's clarity and vision at OTAs, saying *"He's come in and he's very clear, given good direction."* His dual-threat upside remains elite, and without A.J. Brown, the target share gets distributed across a committee — which could actually smooth out his weekly floor in Mannion's system.

> **On Fantasy Football Today...** (via The Fantasy Headliners) — *"People just assume DeVonta Smith is going to be the only show in town... Philly fans expect this offense to be some crazy high-volume offense."* [[hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WU0nY8xUwo&t=346s)]

### 📉 The case it could be a *negative* surprise

> **Flock Fantasy** — *"Jalen Hurts had the worst year of his NFL career this past year... I understand the cause for concern for a lot of people."* [[hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJw0A3gObY&t=336s)]

There's real risk here. Mannion's wide-zone scheme is run-heavy (Saquon Barkley still there), rookie WR Makai Lemon is unlikely to be a 1:1 replacement for Brown, and the offensive line is aging — Hurts completed just **51.1% of passes under pressure** last season with 5 INTs. And the job security threat is real: anonymous Eagles sources have blamed Hurts for last season's shortcomings, and reports say they'd pursue *Lamar Jackson* if Hurts stumbles.

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**Bottom line:** Jalen Hurts has the highest variance on the Eagles roster. If the low ADP, new system, and bad 2025 all combine to create a bounce-back, he'll be the biggest surprise in Philly. If the 7th OC in 7 years finally breaks the camel's back... well, that'd be a surprise too, just not the fun kind.

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Answered 2026-06-23 by ChatFFB — fantasy football answers from a live news wiki.
Source: https://chatffb.com/ask/will-jalen-hurts-be-the-biggest-surprise-on-the-eagles-in-2026