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The life of an undrafted free agent is a fast and furious one, filled with agents working the phones looking to find their clients the best possible landing spots. For EJ Perry, that appeared to be a spot on the Philadelphia Eagles’ depth chart until it wasn’t.
The Eagles had signed the rookie quarterback to a contract after the draft, but the former Brown University (and Boston College) standout reversed course after Philly inked Carson Strong. Perry decided to accept an offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars instead, telling the Providence Journal (via agent Sean Stellato) that it was a better opportunity. Meanwhile, Strong received a deal worth $320,000 to make him the highest-paid undrafted free agent in this year’s draft class.
So Perry wasn’t wrong. The Eagles have starter Jalen Hurts and backup Gardner Minshew already entrenched, plus Strong coming in to fight for the third-string spot. Perry will face less competition in Jacksonville where he has a chance to learn under quarterback whisperer Doug Pederson. The Jaguars enter training camp with starter Trevor Lawrence, along with backups C.J. Beathard and Jake Luton.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman talked about being aggressive in terms of finding undrafted diamonds in the rough. That process can be a real challenge to navigate at times.
“It’s always hectic. There’s always a lot going on,” Roseman said on April 30. “There’s always a lot of conversation, and to be honest, I feel bad for the players and the agents because they are trying to juggle 31 different calls, 32 different calls sometimes. We just try to be as aggressive as we can.”
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Strong Enters Camp Fighting for QB3 Job
Whichever quarterback landed in Philly was going to jump into a great opportunity. Strong proved to be the most intriguing option and now he’ll get a chance to compete against Reid Sinnett — an undrafted rookie free agent from 2020 — for the QB3 job. Sinnett has never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL, although he was active for two games with the Miami Dolphins in 2021.
Strong (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) had considerable hype coming out of college before undergoing two surgeries on his right knee. He was the 2021 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year at Nevada where he threw for 4,175 yards and 36 touchdowns. His arm strength is unquestioned, but his mobility will be under the microscope as questions over his long-term health abound.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Strong “underwent a procedure that reattached cartilage in the knee with eight biodegradable nails” that caused him to miss his senior year of high school. That was the first surgery. The second knee operation forced him to wear a “bulky knee brace” at Nevada. Joe Davidson wrote:
For all of his career collegiate yards and touchdowns — 9,379 and 74 — it’s the number of knee surgeries that could hamper him in the draft, though no one doubts Strong’s commitment. He once said, “Unless my leg snaps in half and my bone is sticking out of my skin, I’m gonna play. Unless I can’t walk, I’m going to play. I’ve always said, if I can walk, I can play.”
Eagles Didn’t Consider QB in Round 2 or Round 3
When the quarterbacks started falling in the 2022 NFL draft, there was rampant speculation that the Eagles might pounce on one. They could have easily selected Liberty star Malik Willis who went to Tennessee in Round 3. They didn’t. And the Eagles never even considered it, according to Roseman.
“We really didn’t,” Roseman said. “Our board kind of dictated the way we picked in those rounds and we’re very comfortable with those guys we picked.”
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