Making sense of the Eagles' QB plans
On Thursday, the Eagles announced they've signed Trent Edwards to a one-year deal.
They now have three quarterbacks on the roster: Michael Vick, Mike Kafka and Edwards. But it's reasonable to question whether those will be the Birds' three quarterbacks going into next season.
Vick is obviously a given, and Howie Roseman indicated to the beat guys at the combine that Kafka and Edwards will compete for the backup role.
But the way I see it, it's not out of the question for the Eagles to add another quarterback before training camp starts up in about five months.
The numbers on Edwards are pedestrian at best: 26 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a yards-per-attempt number of 6.5. Then again, he hasn't exactly been surrounded by the type of talent the Eagles have on the offensive side of the ball. Considering Edwards couldn't make an NFL roster last season, he had every reason to take this deal with the Eagles.
As for Kafka, we should find out what the team really thinks of him this offseason. Andy Reid, Marty Mornhinweg and Howie Roseman have consistently talked up Kafka since they drafted him in the fourth round in 2010. If he earns the role as Vick's backup, we'll know they truly believe what they've been saying.
But if the Eagles see another strong backup option they like once free agency starts (March 13), they could make another addition. Earlier this offseason, I ran through the list of potential free-agent backups. And others could become available as teams tweak their rosters.
There's also the draft. As others have noted, perhaps it doesn't make sense to draft a quarterback high with Andy Reid facing an uncertain future past 2012. Why not wait a year and let the new coach pick out his franchise QB? But on the other hand, I'm not sure it makes sense to operate an organization that way. More likely, the Eagles are expecting Reid to have some degree of success next season. So I'd be surprised if they passed on a QB prospect they liked just because of his uncertain future.
If the Eagles do draft a quarterback they expect to make the roster, and Edwards wins the backup job, Kafka could be the odd man out. If they sign another free agent quarterback to back up Vick (and don't draft one), it probably makes sense to continue to develop Kafka and part ways with Edwards.
The Edwards signing carries no risk. He could end up as Vick's backup, but the Eagles could still make a move at quarterback in the coming months.
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