PHILADELPHIA - Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts emphasized the importance of intentional relationship-building with his receivers during his weekly media session on Wednesday, highlighting a one-hour one-on-one session with Darius Cooper the week before the team’s recent loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
With established wideout DeVonta Smith sidelined with a hamstring injury in recent weeks, Hurts has leaned on a group of less-experienced options including Cooper, Dontayvion Wicks, and rookie Makai Lemon.
The QB1 described the growing trust within that group amid the adversity of adjusting on the fly.
“We have a lot of trust, and I think, in essence, there’s value in that. There’s value in those experiences,” Hurts said.
The veteran quarterback drew from the experiences of his own career, noting how past periods of downtime and challenges helped him evaluate how teammates respond under pressure.
“When I reflect on my experiences as a quarterback, think about the downtime and think about the times where we had adversity in front of us, and I can look at the guys around me and see how we responded to that,” said Hurts. “And that gave me the utmost encouragement to be able to move forward and have confidence and overcome.”
Hurts takes a more intentional approach
Hurts pointed specifically to his meeting with Cooper as an example of raising the standard of his approach.
“As I gave an example of Darius Cooper, you know, last week we met one-on-one for an hour, and the product was that in itself,” Hurts said.
He added that while chemistry with longer-tenured teammates has often developed more naturally, the current situation calls for deliberate effort.
“I don’t think there can be any slight to prioritize that and building that bond, ’cause ultimately in the past, those bonds were very natural, and the chemistry was already there. So that’s just something that I would love to be intentional on.”
Cooper described the session as mostly conversation rather than pure football talk.
“We were really just talking. You know, of course we was talking a little ball. But really just talking, having a good conversation. And that just builds trust,” the second-year receiver said. “And we ended up connecting on a touchdown, so I think it goes hand-in-hand being able to have just a good relationship with your teammates. It makes you wanna play for them instead of just playing with them.
“It’s a difference.”
The connection between the two has grown since Cooper joined the team last year, according to the receiver.
Asked about the significance of Hurts seeking out that individual time, Cooper replied simply,
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool, man. Me and Jaylen, our relationship has grown over the years since I’ve been here… and it would just keep improving,” the wideout said.
Cooper tied the chemistry directly to the 62-yard touchdown the pair connected on in the game, his fourth TD of the young season.
“I think it’s just… self-explanatory. Just you communicate with someone, you know them, and you trust them,” Cooper said. “So when moments like that come up in the game, it’s like we talked about it, you know? It’s like you kind of talking [it] to existence.”
Cooper added that continued reps and one-on-one communication will only strengthen the connection as the season progresses.
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