Carson Wentz is officially on his way to the Colts ,and Jalen Hurts is the only QB on the roster. Where does this leave the state of the Eagles QB room? With only one QB on the roster and a brand new head coach, the Eagles will have major decisions to make in 2021. Will the Eagles move on from Jalen Hurts? Is Jalen Hurts the back-up or the starter? Many different scenarios that we need to take a look at.
Jalen Hurts QB1
Introducing the new franchise QB of the Philadelphia Eagles...Jalen Hurts. The Eagles drafted him in the second round last season, and when he took over for Carson Wentz, there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Jalen Hurts is only 22 years old but he is still far from a perfect product. However, he is capable of being the new franchise QB. Give him proper coaching, play calling, and offensive weapons. If they start to commit to him now, we won't have a repeat of the Carson Wentz tenure.
Free Agent Back-ups
If the Eagles are all in on Jalen Hurts they are going to need a back-up. I fully expect Nate Sudfeld to be playing elsewhere next season. There are few candidates the Eagles could sign that would be willing to take the veterans minimum.
Cam Newton
Cam played awful in New England ,and his days of being a starter in the NFL are likely over. Since his starting days are behind him, teams will look to him as a back-up. After a disastrous year in New England his demand may vanish, the Eagles could sign up him to a much cheaper contract than what he is worth.
Nate Mullens
Mullens is not a starting QB in this league, and may not even be a back-up caliber player either. However, the Eagles need to be extremely cheap this off-season due to the cap issue. Mullens would provide experience and be the cheapest option on the market.
Matt Barkley
Same thing as Mullens, Barkley is not a starter and if he plays like he did the first time he was in Philadelphia he is not a back-up either. However, the Eagles need cheap and Barkley could be a option if he decides to not resign with Buffalo.
Draft a back-Up
If the Eagles do not want to sign a free agent, but would much rather get a back-up in the draft, there are many options for them. They can draft someone for much cheaper who is young and not a washed up player like Newton.
Kyle Trask Florida
Trask's offensive coordinator at Florida was Brian Johnson. The Eagles new QB's coach is Brain Johnson. The previous connection could be very intriguing for the Eagles.
Kellen Mond Texas A&M
Mond's draft stock rose after his MVP performance in the Senior Bowl. He is projected to go in rounds 4-5. If Mond is anything like the MVP before him, the Eagles will be in good hands.
Shane Buechele SMU
Buechele is going to go very late in this years draft. This could provide an even cheaper option. If the Eagles are just looking for someone to fill the roll of just the back-up, Buechele would fit in perfectly.
Jalen Hurts QB2
There are rumors that Jalen Hurts is not guaranteed to be the starter week 1 for the Eagles. With a new head coach in Nick Sirianni, he could want a fresh start for the team. If the team decides to look for a new franchise QB, they will have to do two things. One they will have to decide if they will find their new QB in free agency or the draft. Secondly, they will need to secure the Nova Care Center the same way the Capitol Building is because the protests will be crazy!
With the 6th pick the Eagles draft?
If the Eagles want to create QB competition they will use the 6th pick to draft a QB. There are 4 players who are capable of competing with Jalen Hurts that the Eagles can take at 6. Trevor Lawrence will not fall to 6 so therefore we will not talk about him.
Justin Fields Ohio State
According to reports, Fields is the Eagles top draft priority. Call me crazy, but after watching film and having my friend Christian beat this down my neck, Justin Fields is the best QB in this draft. He would be an instant upgrade to Jalen. This would allow the Eagles to return to their original plan to have Jalen Hurts as a back-up.
Zach Wilson BYU
If the Eagles drafted Wilson the competition would be fun to watch. The Eagles would live up to their promise of being a QB factory. As a football fan, i'd love to see how this would play out.
Trey Lance North Dakota State
The last time the Eagles drafted a QB from North Dakota State it worked out perfectly. He is the most likely to be available at 6, but we all know how Carson and the Eagles worked out. Don't do this to us Howie.
Mac Jones Alabama
I would not hold it past Howie Roseman to be dumb and take Mac Jones with the 6th pick. He took Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson. Howie could also trade away valuable capital to draft him late in the first. I do not expect this to even happen, but never doubt Howie Roseman because he is capable of anything.
Aquire a new franchise QB
The Eagles can not afford to do this. There really is no point to mention this simply because the Eagles can not afford to sign or trade for anyone this offseason. However, we can take a look at some possibilities.
Jacoby Brissett- Free Agent
This would have to be the popular pick for Eagles fans. Sirianni and Brissett worked together with the Colts. Sirianni would look to reunite him with his old QB.
Marcus Mariota- Las Vegas Raiders
Chip Kelly is getting what he always wanted ,and the Eagles can trade for the former Heisman winner from Oregon. Mariota still has some fire left in his tank. Given the opportunity, the Eagles could look to give Mariota a second chance as a NFL starter.
Prediction
Well there you have it. All the options the Eagles can do this offseason. This offseason is about to be one long and crazy rollercoaster. In the end, the Eagles need to be committed to Jalen Hurts. He is only 22 has not even come close to peaking yet. He is the one area of hope for this team. The Eagles need to build around him and see where he can go.
The Eagles have zero need for a starting QB. They need to look to draft a BACK-UP QB. My guess is they draft Kyle Trask to be the back-up to Jalen Hurts. The previous connection of Trask and Johnson is intriguing and he can provide depth to the QB position.
Comments