Made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, the “Tush Push” has become the NFL’s most controversial play. Jalen Hurts has rushed for 55 total touchdowns in his career, in addition to throwing for 85, across his five-year career and four seasons as a starter. 33 of his 55 rushing touchdowns have come on the “Tush Push” approach, making up 60% of these scores.
The NFL attempted to put a stop to this play, putting it up for a vote to be taken out of the league completely. Spearheaded by the Green Bay Packers, multiple forms of the proposal were put together with different verbiage to attempt to take this out of the league-wide playbook. Despite this, the vote ended 22-10 in favor of banning the play, which failed to reach the 24-vote mark or 75% majority required to make the change. This also coincidentally is the exact score Philadelphia defeated the Packers by in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
But momentum seems higher than ever before to take this play out of the game. With the expectation that this will likely return to the table next offseason, could this be the last season Jalen Hurts should be viewed as an elite fantasy QB?
Jalen Hurts Fantasy Production:
Based on DraftKings Fantasy scoring, Jalen Hurts ranks in fantasy football based on fantasy points per game:
- 2024: 9th overall and 6th among QBs
- 2023: 7th overall and 3rd among QBs
- 2022: 3rd overall and 3rd among QBs
- 2021: 13th overall and 8th among QBs
The rushing ability of Jalen Hurts is undeniably a huge part of what makes him so valuable. He ranked fifth in rushing touchdowns last year (14), 2nd in 2023 (15), 2nd in 2022 (13), and 6th in 2021 (10) across the entire NFL. Hurts’ 6-foot-1 frame and 600-pound squat habits allow him to drive a pile with or without someone pushing him in the backfield.
Jalen Hurts without the “Tush Push”
Even if the Tush Push is eventually banned, QB sneaks are here to stay. Philadelphia was successful in 87% of their QB sneak attempts last season compared to the rest of the NFL, producing at a 71% rate.
Hurts’ strength is a huge factor, but the offensive line also must be considered. Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens headline an offensive line unit that has been among the best in the league for several years. Even following the loss of Jason Kelce, who was present at the NFL’s latest “Tush Push” vote, Philadelphia has continued to have success and will expect the same this season.
In addition, banning this specific play will have no impact on taking away the 14,667 passing yards, 85 passing touchdowns, or 3,133 rushing yards he has tallied in his NFL career. There is a case to be made that Saquon Barkley could be the biggest beneficiary of this polarizing play being banned, but don’t expect the Eagles to stop using Hurts’ combination of mobility and strength. Similar to how Cam Newton served as the goal-line back for the Panthers during his prime, Hurts will continue to see opportunities around the end zone.
Ultimately, everyone should take a deep breath and not expect too much change now, one way or another. For the short term, expect it to be business as usual, and for Hurts to continue being locked in as one of the league leaders in rushing touchdowns. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are stubborn enough to make sure they utilize this first down and scoring tool while they still can, so there will be plenty of Brotherly shoves this season.
If the Tush Push is taken away, expect Hurts to remain in the mix for the rushing touchdown leader via the normal QB sneak. There may be slightly better results, but the key factors in why the play is successful exist whether someone is pushing behind the star QB as well. Hurts is still, at worst, an adequate passer with loaded weapons surrounding him. Don’t let this massive talking point completely overshadow his overall impact. Hurts took a slight step back as a passer last season, but this had more to do with Saquon Barkley running for a historic total than anything regarding Hurts’ level of play.
The Eagles’ star quarterback has played himself into the conversation for the most elite fantasy QBs and should stay there with or without Philadelphia’s unique QB sneak iteration. His season-long rush touchdown prop is set at 12.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook, which he has eclipsed for three straight years. Continue viewing him as one of the most elite fantasy QBs for the foreseeable future, even if the writing for the Tush Push may be on the wall.
