Eagles receiver Devon Allen on Jalen Hurts: 'He's a great leader'
Set to enter his his third season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, Jalen Hurts is coming into his own as a leader. One example of that is how the quarterback welcomed in receiver Devon Allen, who joined the team as an undrafted rookie this offseason.
Allen joined Takeoff with Jon Clark on Monday to share that story. He said Hurts invited him over to his house for a welcome dinner, where they had a crawfish boil.
“He’s a great leader,” Allen said. “I think something that’s important is to try to build a relationship and rapport with all of your teammates. The first week I was there he invited me over for dinner. We had a crawfish boil. So that was pretty cool. I was like, ‘This guy doesn’t owe me anything and he doesn’t have to say much to me at all because I’m like the sixth-seventh-eighth receiver right now on the depth chart.’ He made an effort to get to know me, and I think that’s something special about this team. All the guys have really made an effort to be present and get to know everybody on the team and build strong chemistry. I think once we get into the trenches and bullets start flying, that’s when great football teams band together and play for each other.”
Allen is a former Oregon Ducks receiver, playing college ball in Eugene from 2014-16. Also a track star, he did not immediately enter the NFL upon the conclusion of his college career. Instead, he went on to become a two-time Olympian, competing in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo games. He was also the US national champion in 110-meter hurdles in 2014, 2016 and 2018. His personal best of 12.84 seconds, set in 2022, ranks as the third-fastest time in history.
Jalen Hurts is coming off of his first full season as the Eagles starter, leading them to a 9-8 record and wild card playoff appearance. He finished the year with 3,144 yards passing and 16 touchdowns as well as 784 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Philadelphia made several moves this offseason to boost the offense around its start quarterback, including trading for Tennessee receiver AJ Brown. Paired with second-year receiver DeVonta Smith, he could be part of a dangerous duo in the passing attack this season.
This Eagles have their sights set higher for 2022, and the leadership of Jalen Hurts will surely play a big part in whether they reach those goals. Philadelphia is set to open the season on Sept. 11 against the Detroit Lions.