PHILADELPHIA — Editor's note: The above video is from October 22.
The Philadelphia Eagles are making a change at quarterback.
ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is naming 2020 second round pick Jalen Hurts as the team's starting quarterback.
Shortly after, the Eagles released a statement on the team's website, with Coach Pederson quoted as saying, "I have come to a decision and I am going to go with Jalen Hurts this week against New Orleans. I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump.”
The rookie quarterback is set to start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and Carson Wentz will serve as the backup to Hurts:
Hurts, 22, was taken with the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
After originally being named a third string quarterback when the season began, Hurts become the backup to Wentz in Week 2, and has been used sparingly since.
Until last week, Hurts only saw the field in special packages that often featured Wentz at wide receiver or were designed quarterback runs to take advantage of Hurts' speed.
It was not until Sunday against the Green Bay Packers did Hurts see the field for an extended stretch.
Wentz was benched in the third quarter of Philadelphia’s 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers after completing 6 of 15 passes for 79 yards, no turnovers and four sacks.
Hurts tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Greg Ward and finished 5 of 12 for 109 yards, one interception and three sacks. He also ran for 29 yards.
The team apparently liked the spark that Hurts appeared to add to the team's offense.
The Eagles will return home to host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 13 at 4:25 p.m.
On Sunday, the Saints clinched a playoff birth with the team's victory over the Atlanta Falcons.