Cam Newton shares why Jalen Hurts is not a top-10 QB

Jul 19, 202529 views

Jalen Hurts has led the Philadelphia Eagles to two Super Bowls in his first five NFL seasons, but Cam Newton has not seen nearly enough yet.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has surveyed scouts, coaches and executives to compile rankings of players at every position leading up to training camp. Fowler released his top-10 quarterbacks list last week, and Hurts came in at No. 9 behind Jared Goff and Justin Herbert.

A lot of people felt Hurts was ranked too low. Newton was not surprised by the list, however. In fact, the former Carolina Panthers star said he would rank Hurts outside the top 10. Why? Because Newton believes the reigning Super Bowl MVP is carried by an elite supporting cast.

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"It's hard for me to grade Jalen Hurts with the talent that he has around him," Newton said. "Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. But if we're talking about what they bring to the table, holistically, it's hard to judge what Jalen Hurts can do when you're throwing to a guy like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith. You have tight end skill sets. You have a dominant defense, the best running back in the game. Download 'Madden' and see how many stars is on the offensive side of Philly."

Newton argued that quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes also have good supporting casts, but the former MVP feels those players need to play at an elite level in order for their respective teams to win. Newton believes the Eagles have shown they can win even when Hurts is not on top of his game.

That is a tough way to grade a quarterback. Hurts had modest regular-season passing numbers of 2,903 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions last season, but he also rushed for 630 yards and 14 scores. Though he has struggled from the pocket at times, it is hard to argue with two Super Bowl appearances.

Hurts is still only 26. Comments like the ones Newton made should only serve as motivation for him. If Hurts continues to improve, critics like Newton will be forced to look at how the former Alabama star elevates his supporting cast -- not the other way around.

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