Philadelphia Eagles Searching for a Franchise Quarterback
By Tom Aresco
The Philadelphia Eagles continue their search for a franchise quarterback as they’ve lacked a concrete answer since the departure of Donovan McNabb.
The uproar stared early this week when reports surfaced that the Eagles were flying to the Golden State to hold a private workout featuring Cal quarterback Jared Goff. Fans and media alike shared opinions and dove headfirst into what this could mean for the future of the franchise. The dust had no time to settle before the Eagles scheduled meetings with Memphis QB Paxton Lynch, and North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz.
It isn’t hard to see the picture forming in Philadelphia. Owner Jeffrey Lurie, head coach Doug Pederson and GM Howie Roseman are working hard to skip the mistakes that doomed the former man-in-charge Chip Kelly. Kelly made a few eye-gouging calls while actively attempting to improve the roster. His player personnel decisions were extremely questionable at times.
However, Kelly’s biggest mistake may have been what he did not do; invest in a young quarterback that he could groom in his offense. He drafted Matt Barkley in the 4th round, but eventually traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a 7th round draft selection after 2 years of being 3rd string. Kelly passed on young gunslingers such as Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater due to the emergence of Nick Foles, another quarterback that he did not seem fond of in the big picture.
Pederson has stated multiple times that he would like a young quarterback to come into a situation in which he could sit on the bench for a few years and learn. Investing money, well within the team’s budget, in the quarterback position should not defer them from taking a close look at the potential talent that could be available to them in the 1st round of the draft. As long as the position is cloudy, the staff should be looking to clear the air there.
Settling at any position is how you find yourself in panic mode years down the road. Settling for Foles put Kelly in the hole, and this staff does not want to be in that same hole any longer. They’ve got a few capable quarterbacks on the roster, but drafting one prior to needing one is a key to setting up long-term success.
Eagles
This isn’t a message to Sam Bradford or Chase Daniel to tell them that their jobs aren’t safe. This is a franchise that is working night and day to fix its most obvious problem of the past six years. There is belief that Bradford can indeed lead this team to the playoffs, and even a playoff win. There is belief that Daniel can act as a mentor to both Bradford and a young quarterback. There is also belief that this crop of young quarterbacks are worth a look, at the very least.
Pederson isn’t tied to a specific quarterback, and neither is Roseman. They are, however, tied to finding a way to turn the Eagles back into a winning organization and that is their common interest. They aren’t satisfied with settling for question marks. The task at hand right now is finding the best player for this franchise, regardless of position, and bringing him to Philadelphia.