Getty Former Buffalo QB Tyree Jackson might be converted to tight end.
The Philadelphia Eagles have made a habit of drafting hybrid players in recent years, including moving explosive talents around the field like chess pieces. Sometimes it has worked and other times it has failed miserably. Get ready for the Tyree Jackson experiment, an explosive player they brought in for a tryout back on Dec. 10.
The Eagles signed the former Buffalo Bills quarterback to a reserve/futures contract on Thursday and hope to turn him into an NFL tight end. The team is banking on him making the same jump that guys like Hakeem Butler and Greg Ward have done in switching positions. Butler struggled mightily in his first year at the position — one offensive snap in two games — while Ward has turned into a reliable slot receiver.
Jackson, who has been drawing comparisons to Washington’s Logan Thomas, will likely have an opportunity to battle for the backup tight end spot behind Dallas Goedert since Zach Ertz and Richard Rodgers are expected to leave. He’ll be up against his old Bills teammate, Jason Croom, along with Butler and Caleb Wilson.
“At the end of the day, he knows how to win,” Croom said of Jackson after he led a come-from-behind win in 2019. “I mean that’s what it takes. Everything is not going to be perfect, but you execute the plays that need to be executed to get down field and win. That’s what we needed to do, and he did it.”
#Bills rookie QB Tyree Jackson showing off the arm, hits Robert Foster for a big gain!
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Scouting Report on Former College Quarterback
The 23-year-old quarterback went undrafted out of the University of Buffalo in 2019 and threw for 315 yards and one touchdown for the Bills in the preseason. The 6-foot-7, 250-pounder also led all Bills rushers with 110 yards in his rookie year.
He racked up 6,999 yards through the air with 49 touchdowns (24 interceptions) during a three-year college career while adding 16 scores on the ground. He posted a blistering 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine and was named South Team MVP at the 2019 Senior Bowl.
Eagles sign former University of Buffalo and XFL QB Tyree Jackson to play TE.
Jackson is 6′ 7″ (250 lbs) and had a 40-yard dash time of 4.59 seconds.
Jackson also saw action in five games last year for the DC Defenders of the XFL where he went 11-of-18 for 46 passing yards and a touchdown. He also rushed nine times for 48 yards. Scouts viewed him as an “intriguing developmental quarterback.”
Pederson Denies Eagles Phasing Ertz Out of Offense
Ertz returned from a high-ankle sprain in Week 13 and slowly — very, very slowly — got re-acclimated to the Eagles’ offense. The conspiracy theorists immediately pinned it on the team wanting to showcase Dallas Goedert who slightly out-snapped Ertz 185-175 in Weeks 13-16.
But Pederson squashed those rumors by revealing Ertz was still getting up to speed after missing seven weeks. There was no intentional change in offensive philosophy on his part and it wasn’t a deliberate attempt to take Ertz out of the gameplan.
Zach Ertz gets very emotional and is in tears talking about his time in Philly ❤️
“This is the best city to play for and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience”
“This city means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family. I’m thankful”
“I think what you’re seeing, though, is Dallas was playing extremely well when Zach missed due to injury,” Pederson told reporters. “From an offensive standpoint just didn’t want to disrupt that. We had to get Zach back acclimated into the offense. I don’t think that’s necessarily a shift in anything at that position.”
Of course, the three-time Pro Bowl tight end did seem like a player bidding everyone farewell when he met with the Philly media earlier this week. If so, Goedert has some big shoes to fill.
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Eagles Sign Explosive Ex-Bills QB to Futures Contract