One of the biggest topics of discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles' initial 53-man roster is their decision to carry all four quarterbacks.
It's odd to see it from any NFL team, but a handful have followed what the Eagles did after training camp. That means that Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and rookie Cole Payton will all be representing the position in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders.
While this will be debated for a while, Eagles fans have known this was a possibility since general manager Howie Roseman said so after the draft in April. It appears he has no intention of changing his mind either.
Howie Roseman got honest about his decision to keep four QBs on Eagles roster
Roseman had a chance to speak with the media for the first time since deciding on the roster. He broke down why he felt it was the right move to keep all four quarterbacks.
“Four quarterbacks, the most important position in sports," Roseman said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "I feel like all those guys have value for our team. Obviously, some is short-term value, some is long-term value when you think about Cole [Payton]. As we went through the process here, just thought it was the right thing to do for our football team.
“…It’s just such a valuable position. From our perspective, last year, obviously we took someone in the fifth round, let him go. He left our practice squad to go somewhere else, traded for a sixth-round pick. These guys are valuable. They take time to develop at the same time. That position is so valuable to this organization over a long period of time. [We] want to be strong there and think both those guys behind Jalen [Hurts] have value, have shown that over the course of their careers. We kind of take all the information at our disposal to make all these decisions.”
Look, no one is going to argue with Hurts or Payton making the team for obvious reasons. The Eagles showed in the preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals that they'll use Payton like the New Orleans Saints used Taysom Hill by playing special teams.
The question is regarding Dalton and McKee. Roseman would not say who won the QB2 job between them, as they are "keeping it to the vest" on that one. Regardless, keeping both seems like an odd move.
Dalton only completed 51% of his passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. McKee fared a bit better with a 63% completion percentage for 263 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. Those kinds of preseason stats won't exactly get the fan base excited about the quarterback situation.
The real issue is that there are too many quarterbacks to carry when other positions that could use the roster space. On defense, there is more depth to use at safety and linebacker. Instead, guys like Chance Campbell, who deserve to be on the 53-man roster, are left rotting on the practice squad.
Read more: 4 winners (and 3 losers) from Eagles' initial surge of practice squad signings
Eagles fans can appreciate that Roseman wants Philly to be the "QB Factory," but at some point, the factory needs to start laying off employees to improve the business. Dalton or McKee should be trade candidates during the season for them.
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