There is no team in the NFC East built to end the Philadelphia Eagles' reign of terror like the Dallas Cowboys. The defense is much-improved on paper and the Dak Prescott-led offense is as dangerous as ever, so the best bet to ensure the Eagles don't three-peat is to bank on more regression from Jalen Hurts.
The Super Bowl LIX MVP looked like one of the brightest young signal-callers in the NFL during the Eagles' Lombardi run in 2024, but 2025 was a step in the wrong direction. And for a quarterback who is pretty early on in a five-year, $255 million contract extension, there's not much room for optimism.
This is a $51 million a year quarterback who is owed $180 million guaranteed, but as weird as it sounds, Hurts is entering a make-or-break season. And The Athletic's Brooks Kubenas is using the summer break to bring up a very revealing question: "Does the system suit the quarterback?"
"This is an important year for Jalen Hurts," Kubena wrote ($). "The Eagles made no move to give him more contract security this offseason, and although he still has three years left on a deal that affords him franchise quarterback status, it’s feasible for the organization to move on from him after this season if it so chooses."
Meanwhile, Dak Prescott couldn't be more entrenched as the Cowboys' franchise quarterback. Questions remain if Prescott can win deep into the playoffs, but nobody asked if Kellen Moore, Mike McCarthy, or Brian Schottenheimer's systems suited him. He's system-proof.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is system-proof, unlike Jalen Hurts
Kubena noted the Eagles didn't sign Hurts to an extension and made no move to give the 27-year-old more contract security this offseason, and that's likely because Philadelphia wants to evaluate his suitability in a new offense. And the fact they have to do that at all to a $51M a year QB is hilarious.
After one disappointing season under former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the Eagles opted for a fresh start. They replaced him with another first-time play-caller in former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach and ex-NFL quarterback Sean Mannion.
This means that Hurts is set to work with his fifth new OC in as many seasons, which means learning another new system. And he'll have to do so without A.J. Brown, who was finally traded after a soap opera-like offseason. And part of why he wanted out was because of the unstable QB play in Philly.
"While no player performed well in last year’s clunky system, the campaign revealed that Hurts indeed has limitations. New OC Sean Mannion’s scheme will call for the most under-center play of Hurts’ career, with a slew of other significant changes to boot. The offseason only offered a peek. Can Hurts get back to elite play? Will he earn that next major deal?"
For a QB making $51 million a year, he has way too many limitations to bear, and there have been reports that he was the root of most of the Eagles' friction last season. It's now clear that the three-time Pro Bowler, he badly needs to return to his pre-Patullo form to cement his long-term future. Only Cowboys fans should want him to stick around.
For an offensive with so much much talent, ranking 16th in EPA per play and 22nd in EPA success rate is incredibly disappointing. You have Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dallas Goedert and a talented offensive line, but they will fly only as high as the man under center will take them.
Every year, it's a new excuse for the 2020 second-round pick. The run game regressed. The offensive line was battered by injuries. But at some point, we have to stop making excuses for him and see Jalen Hurts for who he is: one of the NFL's most inconsistent QBs and a product of the talent around him.
This isn't to say that the Cowboys will 100% win the NFC East in 2026, but if the Eagles aren't sure of who Jalen Hurts is or will be in Sean Mannion's system, Prescott and company can take advantage of the lingering questions marks and finally take down Goliath en route to a long-overdue division title.
Thankfully, unlike Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott will never hold the Cowboys back.
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