Eagles free agent grades: Nate Sudfeld
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Well… at least Nate Sudfeld is well-versed in the Eagles’ offense.
It’s difficult to know how to feel about Sudfeld returning for another year as the backup quarterback to Carson Wentz, in part because it’s unclear how the Eagles truly feel about him. The club was awfully quick to pull the plug on Sudfeld as the No. 2 last season when he was expected to miss a week or two with an injury to his non-throwing wrist.
Yet, once Marcus Mariota and Case Keenum were off the market, there were few other options for the Eagles — at least none that represented a definitive upgrade over Sudfeld.
Kind of crazy considering Sudfeld has attempted all of 25 passes in three regular season appearances, but there simply isn’t anybody else right now.
The main thing Sudfeld has going for him is time. He’s been with the Eagles since 2017, so although there are certainly quarterbacks who have a larger body of work out there, none so good they would automatically acclimate to the offense fast enough to win a competition.
And who’s to say anybody from that collection of players who could never cut it anywhere else are better? Sure, a Blake Bortles or Brett Hundley might be young, have some experience and a little name recognition — but they stink. Also, they need to learn the playbook.
We have no idea if Sudfeld is good or not. In fact, we don’t have much more to go on than what you can read in his scouting report. 26. Protypical size. Good arm. Functional mobility. Good work ethic. Smart. Loves the game. Only one way to know how the puzzle pieces come together, and the Eagles hope they never need to find out.
Of course, with Wentz, it’s been more likely the backup will get into a game at some point than not. That’s why I’m not totally convinced Sudfeld will actually be the backup come September (if there is a September).
A $500,000 signing bonus and $90,000 workout bonus aren’t exactly a commitment the Eagles can’t walk away from. Should Josh McCown decide to play another year, or another competent veteran quarterback become available at a later date, or a rookie outperform him in training camp, Sudfeld could easily be shown the door.
That almost seems like a feature. The Eagles were comfortable enough to keep Sudfeld as the No. 2 when Nick Foles was leading to the Super Bowl. They obviously were also-keeping their options open last year.
By all appearances, if he winds up being the backup in 2020, the Eagles are OK with that. And should the opportunity to upgrade come around, they’re probably OK with that too.
Grade: B-
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