The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into the 2026 NFL season with renewed optimism for the offense after a massively disappointing 2025 season under Kevin Patullo.
But it's not just the offensive coordinator change to Sean Mannion that has Eagles fans optimistic about the season. It's Jalen Hurts, who has seemingly been looking better this summer, especially as a runner.
Speaking of Hurts as a runner, he has a real chance, as ESPN's Tim McManus highlighted, to join just two other QBs in NFL history in one statistic. That stat? Rushing touchdowns as a quarterback.
"Milestone to watch: Jalen Hurts becoming the third quarterback with at least 75 career rushing touchdowns," McManus writes.
Hurts is coming into the 2026 NFL season with 63 rushing touchdowns during his six-year NFL career, which saw him make just four starts during his first season back in 2020.
During his six-year NFL career, Hurts has ran four 63 rushing touchdowns with 3,554 rushing yards on 779 attempts. The tush-push has been a huge factor in his high rushing production, but he's also been a solid runner on normally designed runs.
After scoring just eight touchdowns last season, Hurts has some renewed optimism, like the rest of the offense, to put up more production on the ground.
As McManus notes, "(Hurts) looked faster this summer when breaking from the pocket or executing designed runs."
If Hurts is faster than he was last season, his rushing production could increase overall. And if he can run better between the 20s and the offense operates better, they'll have more red-zone drives, giving Hurts more opportunities to join this company.
Only two quarterbacks have ever run for at least 75 touchdowns in their career: Josh Allen (79) and Cam Newton (75).
Hurts is the next-highest QB on the rushing-touchdown leaderboard at 63, and with 12 more touchdowns, he could tie Newton for second all-time in rushing TDs by a QB.
He's accomplished that feat three times in the last four years, running for 13 TDs in 2022, 15 in 2023, and 14 in 2024.
His eight rushing TDs last season were a drop-off, but his upside as a runner is still there, and with a healthier offensive line, the tush push should work better as well.
Hurts, the Super Bowl MVP, has a chance to join Allen and Newton with his 75th rushing TD in his career this season; if he were to accomplish this feat, it'd tie him for 27th all-time in NFL history with Newton and Clinton Portis at 75.
