Hurts, Sirianni on same page as Eagles return from bye week against lowly Browns

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts was light on specifics but wanted to share that he had “great moments” with Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni during bye-week meetings designed to get the .500 team back in the thick of the NFC playoff race.

Did they just become best friends?

Well, probably not. There’s likely no karate in the garage in their future, though it was needed for optics to get the news out there that, yes, the coach and his QB are on the same page after yearlong speculation there were fissures in their relationship and that Sirianni was on the hot seat.

Hurts, second in the NFL with seven turnovers, acknowledged at training camp there was some separation inside the locker room during last season’s freefall from 10-1 start to a wild-card loss. Sirianni, who coached the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, didn't exactly heap praise on Hurts in camp when he said, “Jalen and I’s relationship is good.”

With the Eagles at 2-2 and a soft portion of the schedule ahead — starting Sunday against the lousy Cleveland Browns (1-4) — Hurts said he had “one of the most efficient bye weeks” of his career, putting in the work needed to get the Eagles back on track.

“We’re the two leaders of the team,” Hurts said. “I’m happy and fortunate that we were able to come together in harmony and have the same goal in mind, trying to get this thing right. I got a ton of confidence in him, a ton of confidence in what he brings and everything he’s been able to accomplish. Just continue to press on, on that. Everybody goes through different moments, everybody experiences adversity but we’ve experienced different levels of adversity together. We’re excited for what’s to come.”

The next step might be the easiest one. BetMGM Sportsbook had the Eagles as 9 1/2-point favorites against the Browns.

Yes, the Eagles have underperformed, but the first four teams they play coming out of the bye are even worse.

Cleveland, the New York Giants, Cincinnati and Jacksonville are a combined 5-15, a sign that perhaps if the Eagles can get healthy — injured receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are expected back — fix their turnover issues and pounce on the worst of the NFL, the season can be saved.

The Eagles look like Super Bowl contenders compared to what's going on in Cleveland.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson resolved the latest civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman claiming sexual assault and battery. His legal issues have largely dwarfed some of the worst play by any starting quarterback in the NFL in years.

It's hard to tell what's worse — his $230 million guaranteed contract or the fact that coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to bench him. Stefanski said there was no consideration given this week to replacing Watson with backup Jameis Winston.

Maybe they're on deck for a QB-coach summit.

If so, they could a learn some lessons from Hurts and Sirianni.

“Communication, talking through everything, having hard discussions," Sirianni said. “It’s not kumbaya, but it’s having hard discussions, telling the truth to each other. At the end of the day, like it always comes down to communication.”

Defending Deshaun

The Browns do their best protecting of Watson off the field.

While he’s been sacked a league-leading 26 times, the 29-year-old has not played like the franchise quarterback he was brought in to be when the Browns acquired him from Houston in 2022.

Watson ranks at or near the bottom in virtually every measurable statistic. Worse, he doesn’t pass the eye test. If he’s not holding the ball too long, he’s panicking in the pocket, misfiring on passes or simply not reading the field.

It’s been bad, leading to cries that he should be benched.

However, the Browns have rallied around Watson, who said his teammates have continued to be supportive.

“They’re just telling me that, ‘You’re still one of the top guys in this league, believe that, have that confidence when you step on the field, lead us to where we need to go,’” he said. “All those guys is making sure that I’m keeping my head up, staying locked in and focused and not getting down on myself and not being too hard on myself.

“I just have to continue to put in that work and trust them, trust myself and go out there and perform at a high level.”

Calling card

Stefanski hinted at relinquishing play-calling duties early in the week to coordinator Ken Dorsey before deciding to keep things status quo.

Something, though, had better change for Cleveland’s stagnant offense. The Browns have yet to score 20 points in a game. They rank 30th with 15.8 points per game and are the only team in the league not to gain 300 yards.

It’s not the plays. It’s the players.

“At the end of the day, we got to go out there and execute and do it to our best ability,” receiver Jerry Jeudy said. “No matter what play is called, we got to do our jobs and make sure it works. We got to find a way to make it work.”

Despite being named AP Coach of the Year twice in five years, Stefanski’s insistence on calling plays has been a sore spot with Browns fans, who argue that he has too much on his plate and can’t address the team’s other in-game issues.

His oversized, laminated play sheet has been likened to a diner menu.

Watson supported Stefanski’s decision to select plays.

“We believe in Kevin,” he said. “Kevin’s been doing play calls for multiple years in his league. Two-time coach (of the year) while doing the play calling. So there’s no faith or love lost in Kevin calling plays. We think he’s the best play-caller in the league.”

Oh, snap

Cleveland long snapper Charley Hughlett suffered a rib injury last week and was placed on injured reserve. He’ll have to miss at least four weeks, which means his consecutive games streak will end at 152.

Stefanski said Hughlett was accidentally hurt by a teammate. Hughlett is the second longest-tenured player on Cleveland’s roster behind left guard Joel Bitonio.

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Berea, Ohio contributed to this report.

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Dan Gelston, The Associated Press