Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\nStill, Fowler said none of it matters if the Eagles do not rediscover the rushing explosiveness they had in 2024. He noted that Saquon Barkley had 17 runs of 20 or more yards in 2024, compared to four such runs last season, and said restoring those big plays would open up the passing game for Hurts.<\/p>\n
That led to the most important part of the conversation.<\/p>\n
Slay was asked whether Hurts can thrive under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion if the Eagles get back to more quarterback-under-center looks, play-action concepts, and throws over the middle of the field. Slay did not hesitate to back his former quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a goal for him,\u201d Slay said. \u201cOne thing I know about Hurts, he\u2019s been having different coordinators for the whole career, so he\u2019s very good at adjusting. But one thing Hurts, he going to find a way to make him comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slay acknowledged that playing more under center could create a new challenge for Hurts, especially with the quarterback turning his back to the defense on play-action concepts and seeing a different picture when he resets his eyes downfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith him being under the center, I think it will be a new test for him,\u201d Slay said. \u201cTurning his back to the defense and seeing a different picture from when he seen it from under the center to when he turned his back. So, it\u2019s going to be a good challenge for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the line that summed up Slay\u2019s confidence in Hurts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing about Hurts, he loves a challenge,\u201d Slay said. \u201cHe like to see them challenges. So, I\u2019m looking forward to the season. I\u2019m rooting for my guys to do their thing. I need them to go ahead and win the NFC East.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slay\u2019s comments are important because Hurts is entering another transition. Mannion is taking over as offensive coordinator, Brown is gone, and the Eagles have reshaped their passing-game personnel around Smith, Lemon, Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, Elijah Moore, Dallas Goedert, and Barkley.<\/p>\n
The challenge for Hurts is not simply learning another offense. It is mastering a system that may ask him to play with more rhythm from under center, turn his back to defenses, attack the middle of the field, and create explosive plays through structure as much as improvisation. Those details will matter if Philadelphia wants to become more efficient and less predictable.<\/p>\n
Slay\u2019s perspective carries weight because it comes from inside the building. He saw Hurts\u2019 preparation, leadership, and ability to absorb change across multiple seasons. He also saw the relationship between Hurts and Brown up close, making his comments about both players more meaningful than outside speculation.<\/p>\n
The Eagles\u2019 offense will look different in 2026, but Slay does not appear concerned about Hurts handling another adjustment. If anything, he believes the challenge may bring out exactly what has always driven Philadelphia\u2019s quarterback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated July 6, 2026, 8:13 p.m. ET Former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay defended the character and leadership of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":783816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[202558,64,63,593,356578,85,266574,266575,203469,269743,272949,203148,272948,266586,203146,203142,203149,202563,203499,264386,203139,203214,202561],"class_list":["post-783815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-accessfree","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sourceeagles-wire","tag-sports","tag-sstssportsnfleagles","tag-sstsneagles","tag-tagamerican-football","tag-tagdarius-slay","tag-tagdevonta-smith","tag-tagespn-inc","tag-tagjalen-hurts","tag-tagmarquise-brown","tag-tagnational-sports","tag-tagnfl","tag-tagnfl-hub","tag-tagoverall-positive","tag-tagphiladelphia-eagles","tag-tagsaquon-barkley","tag-tagsports-news","tag-tagstory-highlights-ai-enabled","tag-typestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/783816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}