Eagles' Lane Johnson shares noteworthy Jalen Hurts update

During a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson mentioned how quarterback Jalen Hurts has "gone out of his way to connect with his teammates" following a rather tumultuous season for the club.

"Just this offseason, he’s really done a good job of bonding with his teammates," Johnson said about Hurts, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I feel like the connection has definitely grown. A really big offseason. The work ethic has never been an issue. Tremendous worker. But, just becoming a more vocal leader and, whenever he speaks, guys listen up."

Hurts' leadership style came into question after the 25-year-old, who signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $255M with $179.3M guaranteed last spring, couldn't prevent the 2023 Eagles from suffering an epic collapse that included the club going 1-6 from Week 13 through its wild-card playoff loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philadelphia punt returner Britain Covey suggested in February that there was "some pointing fingers from player to player" amid the team's woes, and it was subsequently reported that the Eagles allegedly dealt with "a real significant problem" that "would splinter any group of men."

It's since been said that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie could consider parting ways with head coach Nick Sirianni and maybe even Hurts if Philadelphia fails to win a playoff game following the offseason signing of star running back Saquon Barkley. Johnson didn't necessarily pour cold water over such speculation.

"Every year is kind of a prove-it deal to everybody when you’re in that town," Johnson explained. "Jalen’s our guy moving forward. We love him, we respect him and nobody puts in more work than he does."

Lurie may or may not have wanted to replace Sirianni with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick this past winter. Belichick remains available and seemingly wants it known he'd be interested if the Eagles job became available in January 2025.

On paper, the Eagles once again have the goods to make a significant playoff run. Hurts' supposed improvements as a leader could help Philadelphia bounce back from the type of campaign that can spark the beginning of the end of an organization's regime.