Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones among the young QBs facing off in the NFL playoffs as the new wave arrives
Of the remaining quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs, Dak Prescott is the oldest at age 29. Hurts is among the next generation of signal callers looking to prove themselves.
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham flashed a wide smile on Thursday afternoon when he was asked about the influx of young quarterbacks across the NFL.
Of the eight remaining starting quarterbacks in the playoffs, all are under age 30, with the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, 29, being the eldest. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, 24, is the third-youngest starter ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, who are 23.
The average age of the eight starters this weekend is 25 years, 278 days.
“I think it’s great that we’ve got young guys there that are going to be the face of this league,” said the 34-year-old Graham, the city’s longest-tenured athlete. “When you make it to the playoffs as a young guy, it’s only going to make you stronger. I feel like the new wave — this is where you separate yourself in the postseason.
“I’m excited because if I’ve got to roll with one, I’m picking Jalen. I’m really glad we’ve got him.”
The top-seeded Eagles will host the sixth-seeded New York Giants in the NFC divisional round at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. Graham and the defense will be tasked with containing Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, 25, who had one of the best performances of his career during his team’s win over the Vikings in the wild-card round. Jones completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 78 yards across 17 carries.
Meanwhile, Hurts used the bye week to rehab his injured throwing shoulder. The third-year quarterback was omitted this week from the team’s injury list, an indicator that Hurts is nearing full health as the Eagles begin postseason play. Saturday will mark Hurts’ second playoff game; he made his playoff debut last season with the Eagles losing to the Buccaneers, 31-15, in the wild-card round.
» READ MORE: ‘I’m feeling good’: What we know about Jalen Hurts’ shoulder injury as the Eagles prepare for the Giants
“I’m a big fan of this [new era],” running back Miles Sanders said. “I think absolutely every quarterback in the playoffs right now is younger. Definitely I’m the biggest fan of Jalen. But I’m also a fan of Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, all of them. Brock Purdy is balling too, much respect to him.
“It’s showing the league changes all the time. It’s just the type of vibe. It’s a quarterback, receiver, and edge rusher-type of league. So that’s what it is.”