Nick Sirianni talks Kellen Moore and more at the NFL Combine

The Eagles head coach spoke to reporters in Indy about Jalen Hurts’ development as a leader and QB, as well as why he’s excited to work with new OC Kellen Moore.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was with Howie Roseman in Indy this week for the NFL Combine and spoke to reporters on Tuesday about the roster. He talked about Jalen Hurts and his development on and off the field, as well as why he’s so excited about his new coordinators Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio.

He explained that after the season ends, they hire new coaches, get a little time away, and then get started analyzing everything from the past year — that’s where they’re at now. Obviously there was a drop-off at the end of the season, but the head coach said they’re committed to getting things fixed.

Upon some self-scouting, Sirianni said that there were times he felt like he was leaning into one of their core values and maybe not enough into others. Those are things that he evaluates at the end of the year, and it’s his job to talk to every player and every coach, and find ways to improve.

Here’s what the head coach had to say:

On Jalen Hurts

Sirianni was asked if the QB needs to be a more vocal leader in the coming season, but he noted that there isn’t just one way to lead and one thing he learned early on, is that the most important part of being a leader is being yourself.

“Everybody has to lead their way, and Jalen [Hurts] has special qualities that people will follow, and that people will want to follow. And he needs to do what he needs to do to lead in that way.”

The head coach also noted that, that’s true of all the leaders on the team, and that A.J. Brown and Darius Slay need to lead their own ways, too.

Still, Sirianni said that Hurts has done a good job leading thus far in his career, and like with everything else, he’ll continue to get better at it, as well.

He was later asked about Hurts’ development as a quarterback, and Sirianni pointed out that the QB has had high moments of success in 2022 and in 2023. The Eagles had a drop off after the first 11 games, but that was as a team, it wasn’t just Hurts or any coach or player.

“Here’s what I know about Jalen [Hurts] — whatever we see that he needs to work on, or whatever he sees that he needs to work on, he’s gonna get better at that because he puts everything he has into it. And that’s a form of leadership too.”

On Kellen Moore’s scheme

“I hired Kellen because I thought he was the best guy for the job, and Kellen’s been successful in every place that he’s been. I know it’s a relatively young career, but he’s been successful as a player, he’s been successful as a coach.

And so, I like the way he thinks about football, and the way he takes everything in and is able to make decisions off of that. So, it’s been fun getting to know him.

Obviously, I’ve always had respect for him from afar, and it’s been fun getting to know him and work through these things together — to build our offense for next season.”

On playing young guys

Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman spoke to reporters just before Sirianni, and admitted that in hindsight, there were some young guys who probably could have played more during the 2023 season.

The head coach stated that his philosophy has always been to play the guys who give them the best chance to win each week. He explained that he doesn’t care if that means playing younger guys, saying that he owes it to the team and fans to play whoever is best for the job.

Other notables

• When asked about Kirby Smart’s players out of Georgia, Sirianni mentioned their toughness, physicality, and being highly talented.
• Sirianni talked about A.J. Brown being one of the best people and leaders he’s been around, aside from being one of the best players, and that he has a lot of respect for the WR and how he sticks up for his teammates.

• The head coach also admitted he doesn’t know how the Haason Reddick trade/contract situation will play out this offseason, but obviously he’s been a huge contributor to the Eagles success the past two seasons and has played outstanding football.

“We’ll see how that plays out, and hopefully he’s an Eagle.”

• Sirianni said that he’s very excited to work with Vic Fangio and to learn from him. Fangio is a great playcaller, and having a defensive staff that he’s familiar with and know his system, was important in deciding whether to retain former coaches or bring in fresh faces. They didn’t make some of the same sweeping changes on the offensive side, because they are working to mesh some of the things they’ve done successfully these past few years with Kellen Moore’s spin on it.
• Regarding the RB room and so many free agents, Sirianni said that they’ve done well in the run game the past three seasons, each year with different pieces. But, they still get attached to guys, and D’Andre Swift had a great year in Philly, so they’ll have to see how things play out.