Player Performance Comparison: Andy Dalton vs Jalen Hurts

Over the last 3 seasons (2023-2025), Jalen Hurts has clearly outperformed Andy Dalton in volume, efficiency, and consistency. Dalton has been a limited-sample spot starter/backup, while Hurts has produced as a full-time starter.

Season-by-Season Passing Comparison

3-Year Overall Summary

Overall Performance

Jalen Hurts has been the better quarterback by a wide margin over this span. He has nearly 10,000 passing yards, 66 passing touchdowns, and a much stronger overall efficiency profile across a much larger workload.

Andy Dalton has been respectable in limited action, especially in completion rate, but his role and production volume are nowhere near Hurts' level.

The chart shows the biggest difference immediately: Hurts has been a true high-volume starter, while Dalton's totals reflect backup usage and spot starts.

This touchdown chart reinforces that Hurts consistently creates scoring production, while Dalton's TD output has been much more limited.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Andy Dalton Strengths

• Accurate in shorter sample sizes
  • Posted a combined 65.0% completion rate over the last 3 years.
• Veteran decision-maker in controlled roles
  • Only 7 interceptions in 13 games.
• Capable spot-start efficiency
  • In 2025, he averaged 7.92 yards per attempt, his best mark of the 3-year span.

Andy Dalton Weaknesses

• Limited volume
  • Just 1,643 passing yards and 10 TDs across 3 seasons.
• Not a full-time starter
  • Only 7 starts in the span.
• Lower playmaking ceiling
  • Career stage and role reduce his upside relative to top-tier starters.

Jalen Hurts Strengths

• High-end production
  • Averaged 203.8 passing yards per game over the last 3 seasons.
• Strong touchdown creation
  • Threw 66 passing TDs in that span.
• Better efficiency
  • 96.4 passer rating and 7.43 yards per attempt over 3 years.
• Durability and consistency
  • Played 49 games and started 48.

Jalen Hurts Weaknesses

• Took more sacks
  • 106 sacks over the 3-year span.
• 2023 turnover spike
  • Threw 15 interceptions that season.
• Completion rate dipped in 2025
  • Fell to 64.8%, below his 2024 level.

Efficiency Snapshot

Strengths vs Weaknesses Visual

This overall chart highlights the main takeaway: Hurts wins across nearly every major passing metric, especially in efficiency, scoring, and weekly production.

Recommendation

Jalen Hurts is the clear winner in this comparison.

1. Better overall performer
2. More efficient passer
3. Far more productive over a full starter workload
4. Higher ceiling and stronger consistency

If you want, I can also do a deeper version including rushing stats, which would make the gap even larger in Hurts' favor.

Offensive Strategy Projection: Andy Dalton on the Eagles

If Andy Dalton replaced Jalen Hurts on the Eagles, the offense would likely become more traditional, more timing-based, and less quarterback-driven in the run game. The biggest shift would be away from Hurts' dual-threat value and toward a structure built on quick reads, protection, and play-action.

Eagles Offensive Baseline

The 2025 Eagles offense was solid but not explosive, leaning on efficiency in scoring areas.

Team Offensive Snapshot

• 22.3 points per game
• 205.8 passing yards per game
• 116.9 rushing yards per game
• 64.0% completion rate
• 1.5 passing TDs per game
• 0.88 turnovers per game
• 37.1% third-down rate
• 70.5% red-zone efficiency

Biggest Existing Strength

• Red-zone efficiency: 70.5%

That matters a lot here, because Hurts' skill set is a major reason the Eagles can be so dangerous near the goal line.

How the Offensive Strategy Would Change

1. Less QB Run Game

With Hurts, the Eagles can build around:

• zone-read
• QB power
• designed red-zone runs
• scramble-based explosive plays

With Dalton, that part of the playbook likely shrinks dramatically.

Impact:

• Fewer designed quarterback runs
• Less stress on backside defenders
• Less short-yardage advantage
• More pressure on RBs and OL to win without the QB run threat

2. More Quick-Game Passing

With Dalton, the offense would likely rely more on:

• slants
• outs
• hitches
• timing throws
• play-action from under center or shotgun

Impact:

• Faster ball out
• More conservative progression reads
• Lower explosive upside
• Better fit for a controlled, lower-variance passing attack

3. More Reliance on Supporting Cast

Hurts can create outside structure. Dalton is more of a distributor at this stage.

That means the Eagles would need:

• stronger separation from WRs
• stronger YAC production
• cleaner pass protection
• a more efficient run game from RBs rather than QB involvement

4. Red-Zone Identity Would Change

This is probably the biggest strategic swing.

With Hurts, defenses must account for:

• QB sneak/short-yardage dominance
• designed keepers
• boot-action scoring threats

With Dalton, red-zone offense likely becomes:

• more fade/slant concepts
• more RB-based runs
• more condensed passing windows
• less numerical advantage in the run game

That could chip away at one of the Eagles' biggest strengths.

Strengths Dalton Could Still Bring

Positive Traits

• Veteran processing
• Rhythm passing
• Experience handling structured offenses
• Can operate play-action and quick-game concepts

Potential Benefits

• Could keep the offense on schedule in a conservative system
• May reduce unnecessary improvisational losses if protected well
• Can function as a point guard if the surrounding talent is strong

Likely Weaknesses Compared to Hurts

Biggest Drop-Off Areas

• Explosive play creation
• Off-script production
• QB rushing value
• short-yardage/goal-line threat
• defensive hesitation caused by dual-threat action

Those areas don't just affect Dalton's personal numbers; they affect the entire geometry of the defense.

Overall Team Impact

Expected Offensive Style

If Dalton were the QB, I’d expect the Eagles to become:

• slower-paced
• more ball-control oriented
• less explosive
• more dependent on defense and field position
• less dangerous in high-leverage red-zone and third-down situations

Win Percentage Projection

I would expect the Eagles' overall win percentage to decline modestly to significantly, depending on the surrounding roster health and defense.

Practical Interpretation

Over a 17-game season:

• Hurts-led version: roughly 10-11 wins
• Dalton-led version: roughly 7-9 wins

So I’d estimate a drop of about:

• 10 to 18 percentage points in win rate
• or about 2 to 4 fewer wins over a full season

Why the Drop Would Happen

Main Reasons

• Loss of QB run value
• Less red-zone pressure on defenses
• Lower explosive-play creation
• More dependence on perfect structure
• Smaller margin for error against strong defenses

Dalton could still keep the offense functional, but he probably would not preserve the version of the offense that makes Philadelphia especially hard to defend.

Bottom Line

Andy Dalton could run the Eagles offense competently, but the identity would change a lot. It would become more conventional and less dynamic, especially in the red zone and on money downs.

Final Take

• Offense gets safer, but less dangerous
• Ceiling drops noticeably
• Win percentage likely falls from playoff-caliber to fringe-playoff range
• Best estimate: 2 to 4 fewer wins over a full season

If you want, I can also do a scheme-by-scheme breakdown of:

1. what the Eagles would call less often
2. what they’d call more often
3. which current Eagles players would benefit or lose value with Dalton at QB

Eagles Skill-Player Impact if Andy Dalton Replaced Jalen Hurts

If the question is which current Eagles players would gain or lose value with Andy Dalton at quarterback, the short version is this: possession receivers and checkdown options would benefit the most, while big-play volatility, QB-run-based spacing, and red-zone touchdown equity would drop.

Biggest Winners and Losers

Which Eagles Would Likely Benefit

1. Dallas Goedert type of player: slight boost

A timing-based pocket passer usually leans more on:

• middle-of-field reads
• stick routes
• seams
• short play-action concepts

That would likely help the tight end role.

Why it matters:

• Dalton tends to work inside structure
• Tight ends become valuable safety valves
• Fewer broken-play scrambles means more designed progression targets

2. Pass-catching backs: moderate boost

Without Hurts' rushing presence, backs may see:

• more checkdowns
• more swing passes
• more screen usage
• more traditional dump-off volume

This could help receiving usage, especially if protection gets stressed.

3. Slot/possession receivers: slight boost

Receivers who win on:

• slants
• digs
• option routes
• curls
• chain-moving concepts

would likely hold or slightly improve their target consistency.

Which Eagles Would Likely Lose Value

1. Vertical / explosive WR value declines

With Hurts, explosive plays come from:

• deep balls
• scramble drills
• extended plays
• aggressive downfield attacking

With Dalton, those plays likely happen less often.

Effect:

• fewer high-aDOT chunk gains
• fewer broken-play explosives
• lower weekly ceiling for outside WRs

2. Overall RB rushing efficiency could be more volatile

This may sound counterintuitive, but losing the QB run threat can hurt the backs.

With Hurts, defenses have to account for:

• read-option
• keepers
• QB short-yardage threat

Without that:

• fewer defenders get frozen
• box counts can become cleaner against the RB
• rushing lanes may be less efficient

So the RB room might get more traditional volume, but not necessarily better efficiency.

3. Red-zone touchdown upside for everyone likely drops

This is the quiet but important point.

If the offense becomes less efficient in:

• short yardage
• goal line
• third down conversion
• defensive manipulation through QB mobility

then total touchdown chances decline across the board.

Best and Worst Fits in a Dalton-Led Version

Overall Fantasy / Usage Impact

Most likely to gain

1. Tight ends
2. Receiving backs
3. Possession/slot receivers

Most likely to lose

1. Outside explosive receivers
2. Overall team touchdown environment
3. Run-game efficiency created by QB threat

Football Impact Beyond Fantasy

Even outside fantasy, the offense would probably become:

• more methodical
• more predictable
• less explosive
• more dependent on winning first down
• more dependent on protection holding up

That means players who win in structure gain value, while players who benefit from chaos and explosive play creation lose value.

Bottom Line

If Andy Dalton were the Eagles QB:

Players who likely benefit

• tight ends
• receiving backs
• short-area possession receivers

Players who likely lose value

• deep-threat outside WRs
• the overall red-zone TD ecosystem
• the run game efficiency boost created by Hurts' legs

Final Take

The offense would reward reliability over explosiveness.
That means the biggest winners are the underneath options, while the biggest losers are the players whose value depends on a high-ceiling, dual-threat passing environment.

Next Step

If you want, I can turn this into a specific Eagles player-by-player table with names and label each as:

• benefits
• hurt
• neutral
• biggest winner
• biggest loser