Former Giants QB’s Surprise Invitation to Bills Minicamp Turns Heads

The Buffalo Bills waited until the first day of rookie minicamp to release the full list of participants. In addition to 10 2024 Draft picks and 12 signed undrafted free agents, 26 players joined on a tryout basis.

While superstar Josh Allen is the perennial starter, quarterback Jacob Eason‘s name immediately raised some eyebrows. “Of the tryout players,” CBS Sports analyst Chris Trapasso posted, Eason is one that “stand(s) out.”

After being selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round. of the 2020 NFL Draft, he’s bounced around the league. Most recently, the New York Giants signed Eason to the practice squad last season. After getting cut, the Giants re-signed the 26-year-old to the active roster in January amid a slew of injuries. He never took an official snap in New York.

Despite stints with five franchises, including the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Carolina Panthers, Eason participated in just two games throughout his career. In total, he completed 5-of-10 passes for 84 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

Before coming to Buffalo, Eason joined the Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, earning complimentary marks for his performance. Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz posted, “Couple nice strikes from Jacob Eason, who hit Dimitri Stanley in a slant in 7 on 7 and then showed some touch on an over the shoulder toss to Brian Hightower.”

As previously reported, the Bills also invited quarterback Gunnar Watson to tryout, who went undrafted after six years at Troy. Last season, Watson completed 268-of-439 passes for 3,569 yards and 27 touchdowns.

---

Could Jacob Eason Provide Competition for Bills QB Shane Buechele?

The Bills needed to invite quarterbacks to rookie minicamp because third-stringer Shane Buechele couldn’t participate. “No one on the roster qualifies for this camp so they should have two tryout,” WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio posted on Friday morning.

Buechele signed with the Bills following his unexpected release by the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason. He was Patrick Mahomes’ third-string backup since he first signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021. The 26-year-old SMU alum has never taken an official snap in the NFL.

The Bills re-signed Buechele to a reserve/futures deal in January. He posted on Instagram afterward, “I’m thankful for year 3 and thankful for what’s to come 🙏🏼.”

Could Eason give Buechele a run for his money? Eason was one of the most-hyped quarterbacks out of high school. Before starting at Georgia, Eason was the No. 4 overall rated prospect as a five-star quarterback, per 24/7 Sports. After a knee injury led to Jake Fromm taking over as the Bulldogs’ starter, Eason transferred to Washington. In 2019, he threw 260 passes for 3,132 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared the 6-foot-6 quarterback to Carson Palmer in his draft profile.

“Eason is fun to watch when he’s ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a pro-style, play-action-based quarterback with average starter potential and an average backup floor.”

---

Bills News: Former Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky Returned to Buffalo as Josh Allen’s Backup

While last year’s backup Kyle Allen signed with Pittsburgh, former Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky returned to Buffalo. The former No. 2 overall pick from the 2017 NFL draft left the Bills on good terms.

He joined the Steelers as their new starting quarterback, but things didn’t go well. After signing a two-year $14.25 million contract that included up to $27 million in incentives, his time as a starter was brief.

By week 5 of the 2022 NFL season, Pittsburgh benched Trubisky in favor of then-rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Trubisky made two more starts after Pickett suffered an ankle injury last season, going 0-2. Pittsburgh replaced him with quarterback Mason Rudolph, who went 3-0 and clinched the Steelers a playoff spot.

While there were “a few spots” in his mind of where’d he like to go, Trubisky told reporters that returning to Buffalo was at the top of the list. To “join a contender” and reunite with Josh, “It just felt like a no-brainer,” the 29-year-old said.

Trubisky signed a two-year, $5.25 million contract with the Bills that includes $2.7 million guaranteed.

0 Comments