It looks like the team's second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will begin the season as the backup to the backup.
Speaking Friday morning with Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said that it might take a little longer to get quarterback Jalen Hurts ready to play, considering he might not be getting many reps in training camp.
"It is probably a little more difficult with the quarterback position because with Carson (Wentz) and Nate (Sudfeld), making sure these two guys get the reps they need," Pederson said. "You have to make sure Jalen is comfortable with the playbook and understands what we are doing as an offense, so the evaluation process might take a little bit longer with the quarterback, but we are going to do everything we can to make sure all of our guys are prepared. Jalen is no different."
Sudfeld getting reps over Hurts is a clear indication that the Eagles don't plan on going to Hurts if Wentz were to go down — at least not early on in the season. It could also be an indication that Hurts might be inactive on Sundays unless the Eagles truly do plan on using him in some wildcat-type packages, which considering the lack of practice time they have had this offseason, feels unlikely.
While the Eagles say they believe in Sudfeld publicly, that confidence changed pretty quickly last season in training camp, when they began the process of looking for a veteran quarterback to bring in prior to Sudfeld going down with a hand injury in the preseason. The team eventually signed Josh McCown after Sudfeld suffered his broken wrist, but that move was likely going to happen regardless of the injury.
Whether Sudfeld would have held onto the backup job if he didn't suffer an injury isn't know, but even when his wrist was fully recovered, the Eagles continued to go with McCown as the top backup. In fact they didn't even dress Sudfeld for most games, including the team's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The top reason the Eagles brought Sudfeld back this season was his knowledge of the playbook, an advantage over other quarterbacks considering there was no OTA or minicamps. That advantage seems to be the top reason Sudfeld will be getting the majority of the backup reps over Hurts and will go into Week 1 as the top backup.
Getting reps won't be any easier for Hurts as the season goes on, as there are even fewer reps to be had during the week in the regular season. It is possible Hurts will be relegated to running the scout team once training camp ends.
So while there has been plenty of talk about Hurts this offseason, both by Eagles fans and around the NFL, the reality is that the team's second-round pick might not be seeing much — if any — playing time this season.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
