Eagles' Jalen Hurts Says He, Nick Sirianni Shared 'Great Moments' During Bye Week

An early bye week for the Philadelphia Eagles may have served Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni well.

Speaking to reporters about the Week 5 bye, Hurts said that he and the Eagles head coach were able to share some "great moments" together:

"We're the two leaders of the team. I'm happy and fortunate that we were able to come together in harmony and have the same goal in mind, trying to get this thing right. I got a ton of confidence in him, a ton of confidence in what he brings and everything he's been able to accomplish. Just continue to press on, on that. Everybody goes through different moments, everybody experiences adversity but we've experienced different levels of adversity together. We're excited for what's to come."

The dynamic between Hurts and Sirianni has been under a microscope for nearly a year.

ESPN's Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler reported in August about a "prolonged strain" between the Eagles head coach and quarterback throughout the 2023 season.

One person described their relationship as "fractured," with the main issue being a disconnect in their visions of what the offense should be.

Both of them have attempted to downplay any issues since the season began. Sirianni called Hurts "an awesome leader" during a radio appearance after a Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.

Hurts didn't exactly paint a glowing picture of their relationship after the Eagles' 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. He simply said "we have our moments" when asked what message he and Sirianni would give to the team about finding their identity going into and coming out of the bye.

Hurts said in the same press conference he has to play better. The turnover issues that were prevalent down the stretch last season are still a problem. He has seven turnovers in four games (four interceptions, three fumbles lost), with three coming in the red zone.

Since scoring 34 points in a Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles have scored a total of 52 points in their last three games.

Some of these issues can be explained by the absence of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Brown hasn't played since the opening game due to a hamstring injury. Smith missed the game against the Bucs due to a concussion.

Both wide receivers appear to be on track to play in Week 6 after fully participating in Wednesday's practice.

Vic Fangio's hiring as defensive coordinator hasn't fixed their issues on that side of the ball. They have allowed at least 385 yards in three of their first four games and rank 22nd in points allowed per game (24.0).

The Eagles will look to build some positive momentum coming out of the bye when they host the Cleveland Browns (1-4) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.