The most valuable thing a player trying to develop can get is reps. Practice is helpful, but for young players, nothing moves them along in their development like actually being in a game and playing.
The Eagles are counting on reps at quarterback being hard to come by this season, hoping-and-praying that franchise signal caller Carson Wentz will stay healthy and play 16 games. They made a $128 million bet this offseason that would happen.
If he doesn't, however, the current plan is for Nate Sudfeld to take his place, a backup with just 25 career pass attempts, and just two during the 2018 season.
Getting Sudfeld ready, and giving him the reps he needs, has to be the Eagles' top priority during their four preseason games, the first of which is tonight vs. the Tennessee Titans. It would be hard to blame the Eagles if they gave Sudfeld almost all of the reps not occupied by Wentz during the preseason, saving only a handful — if any — for backups Clayton Thorson and Cody Kessler.
It is easy to see why the Eagles like Sudfeld so much, and felt confident enough in his potential to make him the top backup to Wentz entering training camp. Sudfeld, 6-foot-6, looks physically like a mixture between Wentz and the team's former backup, Nick Foles, on the field. He is athletic, he looks comfortable in the pocket, he knows the offense and throws a very nice deep pass. He is even a mixture of their personalities.
On paper, Sudfeld has everything the Eagles would want in a quarterback to develop.
In training camp, however, it just hasn't completely clicked yet for Sudfeld.
So far in camp Sudfeld is 88/129 with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, numbers that are impressive, but make his play on the field seem better than it has been. The Eagles' backup has had days where you wonder if he is ready for the job, struggling with his accuracy and holding onto the ball too long. The highs have been great for Sudfeld, but the lows have been concerning. He has yet to turn in a string of practices that would make the Eagles feel their confidence in him has been justified.
Inconsistent and unpredictable are not two qualities the Eagles, or any team, want in a backup. Especially when the roster around the quarterback position is stacked with talent and ready to win right now. While positions like defensive end, linebacker and right guard are key ones to watch in the preseason, they are easy fixes compared to the challenges of finding a new backup quarterback this close to the season.
Not only is the quarterback market not exactly overflowing with talent, but the idea of bringing in a veteran just three weeks before Week 1, and getting him ready to potentially play, is a daunting task. It is possible the Eagles could go with Cody Kessler if Sudfeld looks shaky, but Kessler has not looked great in training camp either. Finding the right veteran, teaching him the offense, getting him reps in practice — replacing Sudfeld will not be easy.
That is why as the preseason starts on Thursday night, and football returns to Philadelphia, the mission for this team is clear over the next four games — get Sudfeld the reps he needs now, because if they don't, they might pay for it dearly the next time he is forced out onto the field.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
