Sometimes the best problems are the ones you don’t have to fix. Forgotten in all the talk of free-agent quarterbacks coming into battle Jalen Hurts for the starting job is one name: Nate Sudfeld.
The Philadelphia Eagles sacrificed their final game of the 2020 season to see what Sudfeld could do. That was Doug Pederson’s reasoning for benching Hurts in Week 17 in the fourth quarter with a three-point game hanging in the balance. Forget the fact they needed a loss to secure the sixth overall pick.
Sudfeld didn’t light up the stat sheet that day. The third-stringer went 5-of-12 for 32 yards and one interception for a 14.6 QB rating. Sudfeld was also sacked twice and lost 16 yards in what was considered an atrocious performance, at least according to the eye test. And even though Pederson is no longer running the show, there is a new belief that Sudfeld’s future in Philly isn’t necessarily over.
The 27-year-old quarterback remains an unrestricted free agent — remember, the Eagles inked him to a one-year $2 million deal last offseason — and could be an option this year to hold Hurts’ clipboard. The outside-the-box idea was first floated out there by The Associated Press‘ Rob Maaddi.
I know agents (disguised as “league sources”) will say the #Eagles are interested in every veteran QB but Nate Sudfeld is all a rebuilding team needs as backup. Jalen Hurts should start 16 games, if healthy. Finding out if he’s QB1 of the future is priority No. 1 in 2021.
“You learn in this league never to assume anything, you gotta go earn it every single day,” Sudfeld told reporters at last year’s training camp. “It’s a broken record but rent is due every day and you gotta make sure you bring it. So definitely not taking anything for granted, staying thankful for the opportunity I have and putting my best foot forward every day and just keep improving as a player, again just taking it one day at a time.”
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Jeffrey Lurie Loves Sudfeld’s Arm, Potential
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie boldly claimed that Sudfeld “throws the best long ball on the roster” at his end-of-year press conference. The comment elicited quite a few chuckles on Jan. 11 as Lurie was defending Pederson’s decision to play Sudfeld over Hurts in the final regular-season game. But the 69-year-old billionaire doubled down by complimenting Sudfeld’s “awfully good” practice habits and his potential to one day be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Jeffrey Lurie just said Nate Sudfeld was “unstoppable” in his NFL debut, a meaningless 6-0 loss to the Cowboys on New Year’s 2017, and I’m wondering what planet I’m on.
#Eagles
“I’m at practice a lot. Our coaches know much more than I do. Throws the best long ball on the roster,” Lurie told reporters on Jan. 11. “I think what happened was he, if you remember, broke his wrist in the preseason a year ago. Our plan was to give Nate a lot of playing time in that preseason. The whole idea was to establish is Nate our long-term backup, is he a potential starter in the league, and how good is Nate, because he’s awfully good in practice.
“And then we tendered him a second-round exclusive rights designation worth millions of dollars and therefore, it just showed where we thought he was both as a quarterback and as a teammate. What happened this year, the preseason got wiped out, so there was no chance to use him this year either.”
Not for nothin, but Lurie is rocking a Sudfeld jersey.
Scratch Raiders WR Off Free Agency Wish List
Tyrell Williams has been repeatedly linked to the Eagles in free agency due to his long-standing relationship with Nick Sirianni. The two spent 2016 and 2017 together in the Chargers’ organization when Sirianni was receivers coach there.
The Las Vegas Raiders officially released Williams last week and everyone assumed he would sign on a cheap “prove it” deal to mentor Philly’s young pass-catchers.
Nope. Not happening. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Williams is on his way to the Detroit Lions after inking a one-year, $6 million contract. It’s not a lot of scratch but the Eagles appear fully committed to their impending youth movement.
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Don’t Count Out ‘Best Long Ball’ on Eagles Roster in QB Battle