By 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles had seen enough of 2016 No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz that they knew a future with him at quarterback wasn’t going to work, so they drafted Oklahoma quarterback and future Super Bowl MVP and NFL All-Pro Jalen Hurts in the second round.
The top brass for the Eagles had not only seen the locker room turn on Wentz, but they’d seen his backup, Nick Foles, take over seamlessly and lead the team to the first Super Bowl win in franchise history — and bring home Super Bowl MVP honors in doing so.
As long as Jeffrey Lurie is the owner and Howie Roseman is the general manager, you can believe the Eagles will never scrimp at getting the top-level talent at all costs — through free agency, through trades and the draft.
It’s the latter of those that could be the gateway to the next era of quarterback for the Eagles, with The Athletic’s Michael Silver reporting that recent struggles by Hurts — and his inflated sense of his worth — might lead them to find his replacement in the 2026 NFL draft.
Hurts Not Playing at Elite Level He Thinks He Is
As anyone who watched the Eagles play this year can attest, Hurts is not operating at an elite level right now.
“Before Sirianni arrived in 2021, the Eagles had another perfectionist franchise quarterback who wasn’t seen as a ‘connector’ in the building: Carson Wentz, the second pick of the 2016 NFL Draft,” Silver wrote. “It was something of a shock when Roseman, the ultra-aggressive GM, used a 2020 second-round pick on Hurts, who ultimately made Wentz expendable. Could history repeat? Some NFL sources familiar with the Eagles’ organizational mindset believe they might draft a quarterback this spring; backup Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round selection, is also highly regarded within the building.”
Like Wentz less than a decade ago, Hurts may have lost his locker room — 3-time NFL All-Pro A.J. Brown has been a vocal critic for the last few years and Hurts’ demeanor, with the pulled-straight-from-ChatGPT quotes about motivation has completelyy worn thin.
Intriguing Prospect for Eagles in Second Round
While the Eagles have used sixth round picks on quarterbacks in 2 of the last 3 drafts with McKee in 2023 and Kyle McCord in 2025, going after a quarterback in the second round would be a clear message to Hurts that he shouldn’t be as comfortable as he seems to be.
One really intriguing option would be Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who came out of nowhere to lead the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Chambliss went 25-3 as the starter the last 2 seasons, leading Ferris State to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2024 at Ferris State before becoming a surprise starter at Ole Miss in 2025, where he threw for 3,937 yards, 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions to go with 527 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns.
Chambliss is currently the No. 3 quarterback on ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper’s Big Board.
“Trinidad Chambliss rose from the bench and emerged as one of the SEC’s best playmaking quarterbacks,” Bleacher Report’s Damian Parson wrote in his draft scouting report. “Chambliss is a dual-threat quarterback. He excels at using his legs to stress defenses as a runner and passer. His creativity raises the offensive playcalling.”
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