Eagles general manager Howie Roseman explains Ian Book signing

In a league where every team operates under a salary cap and free agency allows guys, once their number comes up, to move around and sign with the team of their choosing, every NFL franchise will have roster needs or some glaring weakness. Take the Philadelphia Eagles for example.

Following the release of their initial 53-man roster, most of us had the same concerns. They were still void of a workhorse running back. We were all still a little ‘iffy’ about their safeties, so we expected more moves to be made. It didn’t take long before we saw a few.

Since last Tuesday, we’ve seen Jalen Reagor get traded. Then, running back Trey Sermon was added following his release from the San Francisco 49ers. Philly also picked up a quarterback.

Ian Book was added to the 53-man roster off of waivers, giving Philadelphia three signal-callers, so obviously, with him being another body on the roster at football’s most important position, there was some interest.

Recently, Eagles vice president/general manager Howie Roseman opened up on the move.

Howie Roseman hangs out with Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro to discuss Philly’s recent transactions.

Howie doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it’s normally worth hearing. He sat with Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro following a long couple of days to conclude the preseason. The topics ranged from Philadelphia’s wide receiver corps to the brilliance of Kyzir White.

On the subject of Book, he had this to say:

"We’re always looking for quarterbacks. (There’s) no more (of an) important position maybe in sports than the quarterback position. We (did) a lot of work (studying) all of those guys in the draft and felt like it was an opportunity to bring Ian in here (and) get our hands on him. We have exceptional coaches of the quarterback position and (we just) kind of went from there. He’s a big-time winner in college. He’s accurate. He throws with anticipation and so we’ll just bring him into the system and see what he does."

He also added the following:

"He’s a mobile guy. He’s a good athlete. I think when you’re talking about Ian, you’re talking about (his) accuracy, the anticipation, the football instincts. He can make big plays, and then, he’s got to prove it in the NFL. So, he had to start last year in a tough situation, in a COVID situation, and I’m sure, he’d like that back. But, he’s a guy that we felt we knew very well going into the draft process. (It all comes down to) what he does with this opportunity."

As Roseman states, Book was on Philly’s draft board in 2021, but he landed with the New Orleans Saints during the fourth round of that year’s selection meeting. He was the 133rd player taken overall.

He’s the third-string signal-caller on the Eagles’ depth chart behind Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew and wearing the number 19 jersey, but he adds another dynamic to Philly’s quarterback room. Reid Sinnett remains on the practice squad. It will be fun to watch how all four progress as we move through the 2022-2023 NFL season.