After watching his Philadelphia Eagles take injury after injury over the first six weeks of the season, Jalen Hurts has been tasked with throwing the ball to 12 different players through five games in 2024.
Asked about how he’s dealt with a rotating cast of supporting players, not to mention how the Eagles’ reserves have played in 2024, after the game, Hurt revealed the advice he gave to Jahan Dotson, who has struggled mightily since being acquired from the Washington Commanders.
“I’m very proud of how they were prepared to step up and be ready. And then, honestly, some of those things just pop, you know, [Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra] is Grant. He had two back-to-back. Yeah, the second one is never supposed to go to him, to be honest. It’s not his ball. But he showed up. We were able to get it to him, and he ran with the ball in his hands,”
“And I walking out at halftime, I told [Eagles WR Jahan Dotson] to just stay ready. Be ready. I don’t know when it’s going to come, I don’t know how it’s going to look, I don’t know where it’s going to hit, but it’s going to come at some point, we’re going to need you, you know. And he showed up, got the toe, drag in. It’s good to see him, you know, just the little details. It’s about the little details. And those things showed up, whether it’s how you throw it, what your footwork is, how you’re catching the ball, dragging on the sideline, the technique up front, you know, getting certain checks in the end of the game, or whatever it is. It’s about the details of being on the same page. And it was, it was a fair showing on that today.”
After combining for just 81 through the first five games of the season, Dotson and especially Calcaterra showed out in Week 6, putting up 77 of Hurts’ 264 yards on the game. If the duo is able to stay ready, as Hurts suggested, who knows, maybe they will become bigger parts of the offense instead of occasionally targeted afterthoughts.
Nick Sirianni was also impressed with the Eagles TE2
Using some of his own post-game media to discuss how his offense looked in Week 6, Nick Sirianni also gave Calcaterra a shoutout, as he played a big role in the win.
“I think we did some really good things. We have to find a way to sustain drives and get some explosives here and there. I think we got some explosives. I don’t know exactly the number, but it felt like some drives were going long early. I thought Jalen operated at a very high level. He played a really solid game,” Sirianni told reporters.
“I thought a lot of the guys (had solid games). [TE] Grant Calcaterra; what can I say about him? Steps in and makes some unbelievable plays — that’s a team. It takes everybody. It takes every single body on this team to win a football game in the NFL. I think that we showed that today.”
After making a name for themselves as one of the better 12 personal teams in the NFL in the past, the Eagles really haven’t gotten much from their TE2 since Zach Ertz was traded to Arizona. If Calcaterra can continue to step up, maybe it will ease the lack of production from Dotson at WR3 and really supercharge the passing attack from a unique, power look that could further unlock Hurts and Saquon Barkley as runners.
