Former Eagles QB earns hard-fought victory in first USFL start
Much can change in three years. In April of 2019, no one was looking at Jalen Hurts and saying to themselves that he would one day be QB1 of the Philadelphia Eagles. There was no USFL. Carson Wentz was firmly entrenched as Philly’s franchise signal-caller.
If memory serves, Nick Foles had just signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 13th of 2019, and even though many of the members of Philly’s locker room had built a shrine to him in what was once his locker, a shrine that they never would have and never did build for Carson, we knew it was Wentz’s offense.
For insurance purposes, Philly’s brass drafted a quarterback with the 167th-overall selection during April’s selection meeting. His name was Clayton Thorson. They waived him during final roster cuts in August, electing instead to go with a journeyman, Josh McCown, and Nate Sudfeld as Carson’s backups.
Clayton saw two other franchises during his NFL career. Both were Eagles rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, but his first start wouldn’t come until April 17th of 2022, during the first weekend of USFL action. That’s a long-winded way of saying the following.
Patience is a virtue. Clayton Thorson has it in abundance.
Former Eagles QB Clayton Thorson finally earns his first win as a professional.
See? Spring football can work. This is going to be fun. Following a tight and entertaining inaugural bash thrown by the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions, one that went down to the wire, Thorson, the fifth-overall selection in the USFL Draft, and his new outfit, the Houston Gamblers, took on the top choice, Shea Patterson, and the Michigan Panthers.
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One weather delay and four quarters of football later, Thorson watched his defense make one final stand to put the bow on a 17-12 win. His final stats were as follows: nine completions on 17 attempts, a 52.9-percent completion percentage, 73 yards passing, a touchdown, an interception, and a QBR of 96.7.
Let’s say it again. Most importantly, he earned the win. The Houston Gamblers move to 1-0 on this young USFL season. Thorson finally gets that first win as a professional. Congratulations are definitely in order.