Jalen Hurts snubbed in offseason QB rankings, Cooper DeJean’s Olympic fit, and more of what they’re saying about the Eagles

It’s that time of the year again, when league insiders and experts start compiling lists of some of the biggest names in the NFL, ranking them by their individual positions, and, of course, giving their hot takes. As expected, that’s going to lead to some very happy — or very upset — fans.

Earlier in the week, we looked at a few places where Eagles players were sitting high atop these offseason lists — and we have more of those to share today. But we’ll start with one where fans are going to be a bit surprised by the name not on the list.

Here’s what they’re saying about the Birds …

If fans thought a Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP were enough to prove the Jalen Hurts doubters wrong, think again.

According to SBNation, Jalen Hurts isn’t considered a top-10 quarterback in the league. In fact, he’s not even a top-13 quarterback. Ahead of the 2025 season, the outlet released its rankings — including three honorable mentions, and Hurts was nowhere to be found.

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“The top three QBs are pretty well known at this point: Kansas City Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes, Baltimore Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills’ QB Josh Allen are the top three QBs in the NFL and all oscillate between the top three spots during the season,” wrote SBNation’s Joseph Acosta.

Mahomes took the No. 1 spot, followed by Jackson and Allen, respectively. The rest of the list had no mention of Hurts. Instead, quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, and Dak Prescott were placed above him. Here’s the rest of the rankings.

“It was a struggle picking between Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Jayden Daniels and Jared Goff for this final spot, but I’m giving it to Stroud here,” wrote Acosta. “Despite all of the poor play calling and inconsistent protection around him, Stroud still helped guide this team to the second round of the playoffs again. His poise and accuracy from the pocket make him a dangerous passer, even if he isn’t super explosive outside the pocket or with his legs.”

Lawrence, Daniels, and Goff were named as SBNation’s honorable mentions.

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Although Hurts was left off SBNation’s top-10 quarterbacks list, Dallas Goedert ranked No. 9 on ESPN’s top-10 tight ends list, which was voted on by anonymous NFL executives, coaches and scouts.

“Goedert occupies a tricky space on the list because he’s a longtime top-10 resident but is, quite clearly, the fourth option in the Eagles’ offense behind Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “His 2024 output — 42 catches for 496 yards and two touchdowns — was his lowest since his rookie year in 2018. But he’s still considered among the most complete tight ends in the NFL.”

Goedert moved down two spots from last year’s No. 7 ranking. Ahead of him was Isaiah Likely from the Baltimore Ravens at No. 8, and T.J. Hockenson from the Minnesota Vikings at No. 7.

As ESPN rolls out there positional lists, several Eagles have already made appearances, including Saquon Barkley as the No. 1 running back and Jalen Carter as the No. 3 defensive tackle.

With flag football entering the 2028 Summer Olympics, ESPN’s Matt Bowen took the time to build “the best 2028 Olympics U.S. flag football roster,” including the top NFL players he thinks would thrive in the 5-on-5, smaller-field, no-contact type of play that will take place three years from now.

Despite all the Eagles’ offensive weapons, none made Bowen’s roster. He has Washington’s Jayden Daniels at the quarterback position, rather than Hurts, who has been one of the spokespeople for U.S. flag football. At running back, he has Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs over Barkley. At wide receiver, he placed Justin Jefferson from the Vikings and Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State over Brown and Smith, and he had Ja’Marr Chase as the team’s center.

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On defense, he picked Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain, Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter, Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean, who he thinks could play on both sides of the ball.

“DeJean could also see reps on offense given his ball skills and punt return ability, which translates well to the flag football game since you need vertical acceleration and the elusiveness to make people miss in space,” Bowen wrote. “But we are focusing on DeJean as a slot corner for this team.

“He can match inside, run with the seams and corner routes and use his change-of-direction speed to limit underneath concepts (especially near the goal line). His rookie tape in Philly was excellent, and a pick-six in the Super Bowl off Patrick Mahomes highlighted his impact ability. DeJean is a rising star who would have three more full NFL seasons to grow his game before the Olympics.”

During the offseason, the Eagles made some big moves — including re-signing linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year deal, working out extensions with Barkley, Lane Johnson, and Cam Jurgens, and trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson for Kenyon Green. ESPN gave the Eagles a B+ grade for their offseason moves.

“The Eagles made several trades,” wrote ESPN’s Seth Walder. “I was not a fan of flipping Gardner-Johnson and a sixth-round pick to the Texans for Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick. On the other hand, they did very well to get a fifth-round pick and backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson from the Browns in exchange for fellow QB Kenny Pickett. And I thought the deal sending Bryce Huff to the 49ers was a win-win considering Huff clearly didn’t fit in Philadelphia.”

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Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus named the top position groups in the NFC based on offseason rankings and it was a clear Philadelphia takeover. Philly was named as the team with the top receiving corps, offensive line, defensive line, and linebacker unit.

The other two categories were taken by the Detroit Lions, who were ranked with the best running back and secondary units.