Last 35 years of Eagles QBs making their 1st career starts
Jalen Hurts will make his first career start on Sunday. Here's a look back at the last 12 Eagles QBs to make their starting debuts. By Dave Zangaro
The Eagles announced on Tuesday that Jalen Hurts will start this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at the Linc.
At just 22 years, 128 days old, Hurts will be the Eagles’ youngest starting quarterback in the modern NFL era. The previous youngest was Randall Cunningham back in 1985 at 22 years and 172 days old.
This will obviously be the first-career start for the second-round pick out of Oklahoma. Hurts will be the 13th quarterback in the last four decades to make his first-career start as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here are the previous 12 in reverse chronological order:
Sept. 11, 2016 — Eagles 29, Browns 10
Wentz really did have a spectacular debut and it came at home after he missed that preseason because of a cracked rib. He didn’t even find out he was starting until shortly before the season when the Eagles traded away Sam Bradford.
Then just 23-years-old, Wentz completed 22 of 37 attempts for 278 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. His passer rating of 101.0 that day was higher than any game this season in Year 5.
Nov. 18, 2012 — Washington 31, Eagles 6
Long before he was a Super Bowl hero, Foles was a third-round pick out of Arizona. He began his rookie season on the bench but got his first game action in Week 10 against the Cowboys when Michael Vick suffered a concussion. He threw for 219 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in relief.
After that, Foles started his first career game in Week 11 at FedEx Field. It was a forgettable performance for Foles, who completed just 21 of 46 passes for 204 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating of 40.5 in that game is still the third-worst out of all the starts in his career.
Sept. 20, 2009 — Saints 48, Eagles 22
The Eagles drafted Kolb in the second round out of Houston back in 2007 but he didn’t make his first NFL start until Year 3 when Donovan McNabb was out with an injury.
After Drew Brees hit Marques Colston to take a quick lead in that game, Kolb hit DeSean Jackson for a 71-yard touchdown strike on the ensuing drive. Ultimately, the Eagles couldn’t keep up with the Saints in a shootout. After trailing by four at halftime, the Saints really poured it on. Kolb completed 31 of 51 passes with 2 TDs, 3 INTs and a passer rating of 73.2.
Dec. 1, 2002 — Eagles 10, Rams 3
The Eagles took Feeley in the fifth round in 2001 but his first start didn’t come until the following year. In 2002, he became a fan favorite. After starting his second season as the third-string quarterback, Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer went down, so it was up to Feeley to keep the Eagles going. He did.
At Veterans Stadium, Feeley completed 14 of 30 passes for 181 yards against the Rams in an NFC Championship Game rematch but the Eagles’ defense kept the high-powered St. Louis offense to just three points. The only touchdown in that game was a 23-yard pick-6 from Bobby Taylor. Feeley ended up going 4-1 before McNabb returned for the playoffs.
Nov. 14, 1999 — Eagles 35, Washington 28
The No. 2 pick out of Syracuse had played before his first start but had to wait until Week 10 to be named the starter over Doug Pederson. The Eagles were playing Washington at the Vet that day.
In his debut, McNabb completed just 8 of 21 passes for 60 yards and had a passer rating of 46.3. He did rush for 49 yards. In that game, Duce Staley went for 122 and a touchdown, Allen Rossum scored on an 89-yard kickoff return and McNabb was able to convert on two 2-point conversions.
Sept. 12, 1999 — Cardinals 25, Eagles 24
The Eagles selected McNabb in the first round but Pederson was brought on board to be the place-holder and everyone knew the situation. But after several seasons in the league — he had played in 21 career games — Pederson didn’t get his first career start until 1999 when he was 31 years old.
Pederson in his first start completed 12 of 26 passes for 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a passer rating of 48.7. The Eagles actually took a 24-6 lead in that game but the Cardinals scored the last 19 points of the game and won it on a 31-yard field goal with four seconds left.
Nov. 29, 1998 — Packers, 24, Eagles 16
The Eagles drafted the younger brother of Ty in the seventh round out of Colorado in 1997 but he didn’t get to start a game until his second NFL season. This was the last season under Ray Rhodes and the Eagles went 3-13.
Detmer’s first start came at Lambeau Field in a game where the Eagles actually took a lead in the third quarter but then couldn’t keep it. Detmer in that game completed 22 of 36 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 92.9.
Nov. 16, 1997 — Eagles 10, Ravens 10
The third-round pick from Ohio State had to wait until Year 2 to get his first start. Hoying, Ty Detmer and Rodney Peete all started games that year.
Yes, Hoying’s first NFL start resulted in a tie against an expansion team in its second season. That day at Memorial Stadium, Hoying completed 26 of 38 passes for 276 yards but was sacked an astounding 9 times.
Oct. 13, 1996 — Eagles 19, Giants 10
After a few seasons in Green Bay, Detmer joined the Eagles in 1996 and became their starter after Peete suffered a knee injury.
His first career start was a win at Giants Stadium that improved the Eagles’ record to 4-2. Against the Giants, Detmer completed 18 of 33 passes for 170 yards. Gary Anderson hit three field goals and William Thomas had a 23-yard scoop-and-score to help the Eagles pull out the win.
Oct. 6, 1991 — Buccaneers 14, Eagles 13
The Baylor product went undrafted and got the only two starts of his NFL career with the Eagles in 1991. They were a forgettable two games.
Against the Bucs, Goebel was 9 for 20 for 62 yards and was picked off twice. The Eagles actually built a 13-0 lead behind two field goals and a Seth Joyner fumble recovery in the end zone before the Bucs came back. Goebel in 1991 threw six interceptions without a touchdown.
Oct. 4, 1987 — Bears 35, Eagles 3
Tinsley was 27 when he made his first NFL start as a replacement player during the 1987 strike season. The former USC quarterback ended up playing in three games and starting two — the Eagles lost all three.
In his first start, Tinsley completed 7 of 22 passes for 65 yards and had a passer rating of 41.1.
Sept. 15, 1985 — Rams 17, Eagles 6
The No. 37 pick didn’t start the opener in 1985 but Marion Campbell decided to bench Ron Jaworski for the second game of the season, which was the home opener at the Vet.
Cunningham that day completed 14 of 34 passes for 211 yards and was picked off 4 times. His passer rating of 22.7 was the worst passer rating for any start in his career with at least 10 passing attempts. (It was one of just three four-INT games of his career.) But he did run 10 times for 90 yards in that game.
