With Carson Wentz off the Eagles' roster and in another state, Jalen Hurts is no longer No. 2 on Philadelphia's quarterback depth chart.
He's also no longer No. 2 on the field.
The Eagles announced Friday that Hurts was among a slew of players with new numbers this season. The second-year QB will wear No. 1.
Whether Hurts' numerical preeminence is a deliberate reflection of his newfound status as Philly's top man under center or just a coincidence can be left up to Philadelphia talk radio to debate, or for Hurts to clarify.
This is not Hurts' first time wearing No. 1 under the spotlight. After donning No. 2 at Alabama, Hurts was replaced as the Tide's starting QB by Tua Tagovailoa, who wore No. 13 in college but then No. 1 in the NFL. Hurts transferred to Oklahoma where he wore No. 1 and was a Heisman finalist. After being drafted by Philly in the second round of the 2020 draft, Hurts donned the No. 2 again, as punter Cameron Johnston, entering his third season with the Eagles, wore No. 1. But Johnston was bounced this offseason and now plays for the Houston Texans, which left No. 1 for the taking. Hurts took it. (Got all that?)
Hurts could well be the most accomplished Eagle to wear No. 1 when things are all said and done; his competition includes Johnston, Tony Franklin, Gary Anderson and Cody Parkey, all special-teamers.
As for Hurts' No. 2, new Eagles backup quarterback Joe Flacco will wear No. 7 for the first time in his NFL career. Long a No. 5 with the Ravens, Broncos and Jets, Flacco couldn't rock Donovan McNabb's retired number at Lincoln Financial Field, so South Jersey Joe will instead don the number of Eagles greats Ron Jaworski, Mike Vick, Sam Bradford and Sean Landeta.
