Backup QBs

Nick Foles is gone. That means that if anything happens to Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld suddenly becomes the most important person in Philadelphia. Based on what we’ve seen this summer, that is a bit scary. Like finding out Jimmy Bama is dating your daughter. Or that the Flyers have some ideas on how your business should be run.

Practice reports on Sudfeld have not been glowing. He’s had some good moments, but they have been too infrequent, like finding me eating a salad.

The Eagles coaches decided to mix things up on Wednesday and gave Sudfeld a lot of reps. He responded with his best practice of the year. We’ll start off with Jimmy’s take on the action.

On the sixth day of Philadelphia Eagles training camp, it was Nate Sudfeld day, as the Birds gave their No. 2 a lot of additional reps, both with the first- and third-team offenses, as well as with his regular work with the second-team guys. In my opinion, it was his best day of camp so far.

It was a much shorter practice today. There were tougher practices on Monday and Tuesday, and the longest practice of camp will be on Thursday, so they had an easy one in between. As such, notes a not a-plenty today.

Sudfeld got plenty of work in the red zone today, where he made a lot of really nice throws:

1. 1. He hit Zach Ertz up high in the back of the end zone on a throw where only Ertz could get it. Perfect placement, nearly unstoppable.
   2. His best throw of the day was to Marken Michel in the back of the end zone. Michel was running along the back line, and the defensive back had good coverage running with him stride for stride, but with his back to the quarterback. Recognizing this, Sudfeld threw it to Michel’s back shoulder, so that he could come back for it. Michel made the catch, but he sort of lost where he was on the field and did not have both feet in. But from the perspective of Sudfeld, it was a real pro throw. Very well done.
   3. He also hit Dallas Goedert for a TD on a busted coverage, and Richard Rodgersover the middle on a crisp throw from around the 15.

In the non-red zone portion of practice, Sudfeld had two other plays of note:

1. 1. He stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush, and threw on the run to Braxton Miller.
   2. He did force one down the seam into tight coverage to one of his tight ends (I didn’t catch who), but the ball was tipped by Rasul Douglas (I think) and picked off by Tre Sullivan.

This is encouraging.

The key here is to fairly evaluate Sudfeld. He’s not Carson Wentz, a possible league MVP. He’s not Nick Foles, a Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl MVP. Sudfeld is an unproven backup QB. He might become A.J. Feeley, but he also could be a bigger, more athletic version of Matt McGloin. Feeley was an excellent backup QB and spot starter. McGloin was not.

Sudfeld isn’t likely to start playing at a super-high level. That would be great if it happened, but history says it won’t. We need to see Sudfeld show that he can make some plays and some tough throws. It sure sounds like he did that on Wednesday.

Jeff McLane was also impressed.

Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld took the most snaps and had one of his better days, particularly in the red zone. He hit a wide-open Goedert — as in somebody totally blew an assignment — in the end zone on his first attempt. And he followed up with a perfectly placed toss, over a linebacker and before a cornerback, to tight end Richard Rodgers for a touchdown. I like the way Sudfeld felt pressure in the pocket on a later play and climbed the ladder before hitting receiver Braxton Miller downfield. He saw a pass to receiver Greg Ward tipped by Douglas to safety Tre Sullivan for an interception. But he tossed a couple of back-of-the-end-zone bulls’ eyes to tight end Zach Ertz and receiver Marken Michel, who didn’t appear to get both feet inbounds.

And

Sudfeld’s numbers could have been better had he gotten more help from a few receivers. Rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside couldn’t reel in a pass on a comeback route. Cornerback Jay Liggins had tight coverage, but NFL receivers should win more of those than they lose. And Shelton Gibson’s struggles continued. He didn’t drop any passes, but he didn’t get enough separation on several throws. Sudfeld went to him on an out route, and the pass was a touch wide, but Gibson couldn’t make a play on the ball. He slammed his hands on the ground in frustration. Sudfeld tried to hit him on a deep fade vs. the man-covering Avonte Maddox. But Gibson couldn’t break free off Maddox as the ball caromed off both.

Let’s hope Sudfeld can build off this practice. Doug Pederson talks about “stacking practices”. Have a good one and then repeat that the next day. Keep doing that. I’m sure you’ve heard the fancy version of this philosophy.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”   

*****

No real notes to share on the other backup QBs, rookie Clayton Thorson or Cody Kessler. Both have struggled mightily so far. At this point, both seem very unlikely to make the roster. That could change, but they would need to play significantly better.

Not all teams keep three QBs these days. The Eagles might be happy with two and one on the practice squad.

*****

Brandon Lee Gowton had some OL notes.

The Eagles gave Jason Kelce, who turns 32 in November, a rest day. Same for the 37-year-old Jason Peters.

• Andre Dillard took first team left tackle reps with Peters resting. He looked good. Dillard showed explosive quickness out of his stance to stifle Josh Sweat.

• Kelce’s absence meant Isaac Seumalo took first team center reps with Stefen Wisniewski filling in at left guard. It goes without saying that an interior trio of Wis, Seumalo, and Halapoulivaati Vaitai is a significant drop off from Seumalo, Kelce, and Brandon Brooks.

The Eagles love to cross-train players, especially O-linemen. Stars can focus on one position, but the others must be able to play multiple spots. Seumalo is the most versatile of the linemen, with the ability to play all five spots. Wiz can play all three interior spots. That versatility makes those guys especially valuable.

It is great to read all the positive reports on Dillard. He will be the starting LT at some point. That could be November or next year. No matter when, it helps that he’s already playing well and showing serious potential. Being a high pick guarantees nothing. I mean, Ereck Flowers was picked 9th overall. Wonder if the Giants regret that pick?

*****

Mike Kaye was impressed by Miles Sanders.

Sanders look good again on Wednesday. The running back caught the ball cleanly and looked shifty running up the middle. He produced a touchdown on a run early on during practice.

Sanders’ biggest play came on special teams, as he made an impressive kickoff return. Sanders returned kickoffs during his college career and was fairly good in that role as a freshman.

The lone lowlight for Sanders was a fumbled handoff during 11-on-11 drills.

Fumbling is something that must be watched, but it hasn’t been an issue so far. I’m not sure I’ll ever get tired of reading the good reports on Sanders. I’m so excited for this offense to have a RB with serious ability. Sanders can add another dimension.

*****

Interesting note from Bo Wulf on the backup OLs.

With Kelce out, I’m fascinated by the moving parts on the second- and third-team offensive lines. Undrafted rookie Keegan Render gets the nod as the second-team center over Anthony Fabiano, who has played guard in camp. On the third team, undrafted rookie Nate Herbig, who has primarily played right guard, gets a chance to snap as the center. Herbig tells The Athletic after practice that today was the first time he has snapped the ball in his life. Another crackerjack exclusive. I saw no bad snaps from Herbig all day.

I liked Render and thought he was a good UDFA signing. I’m interested to see how he looks in the preseason.

Good tidbit on Herbig. He’s huge so he’s played OG or OT. As I talked about earlier, the Eagles need guys who can do multiple things. The fact they wanted to see Herbig snap is a sign that they like him. It doesn’t mean Herbig will pan out, but he’s gotten the coaches attention.

*****

Some misc notes from the PE.com guys.

14. One player who made some plays on defense today is cornerback Josh Hawkins. The young veteran was added in the middle of last season and actually played on defense in the playoffs due to injuries. A competitive player who brings it every day in practice, Hawkins had a pass breakup early on against Wentz and then had a late one in the final session against J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. – Fran

Good stuff from Fran.

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