Lavonte David got brutally honest about whether teams fear playing Jalen Hurts

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a lot of success against the Philadelphia Eagles in recent years. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is 2-4 against Tampa Bay, including 0-2 in the playoffs in his NFL career.

Since announcing his retirement from the NFL last month, former Bucs linebacker Lavonte David has been on a press run, breaking away from the quiet, soft-spoken reputation fans are used to and suddenly becoming an open book with the media. It's refreshing to watch David come out of his shell and share Bucs stories and perspectives that have never been shared before.

In an appearance on The Arena: Gridiron hosted by Skip Bayless, David said the quiet part out loud about how the Buccaneers felt about preparing for Hurts and the Eagles.

"Jalen Hurts was never our — he was never a guy who we were worried about when we played the Eagles,” said David. “Our game plan was just like, ‘We gon’ make Jalen Hurts beat us.’ We’re going to keep him in the pocket, make him make his reads, understand what defense he’s seeing, and make him beat us."

Lavonte David

David wasn’t necessarily taking a shot at Hurts. He was explaining that with the Eagles’ other strengths — a great offensive line, elite receivers, and a strong running game — Hurts was the least of their concerns. He essentially called Hurts a game manager without flat-out saying it, even noting that Hurts isn’t asked to do too much due to the pieces around him. 

David won’t be on the field anymore, but his comments will likely strike a nerve with Hurts and the Eagles fan base. This upcoming season marks the first time since 2022 that the teams won’t meet in the regular season, but Tampa Bay is set to travel to Philadelphia in 2027, and Hurts will have a chip on his shoulder when the Buccaneers come to town.