Eagles quarterback Nate Sudfeld is expected to miss six weeks after surgery to repair a broken wrist. When he returns, Sudfeld likely will be the No. 2 quarterback, behind Carson Wentz.
“I think so,” coach Doug Pederson told reporters regarding whether he’s comfortable installing Sudfeld as the primary backup once he’s healthy. “I mean, obviously we can go back and kind of look at what he did last year a little bit in some of the games. Obviously, the pre-season game [on Thursday night].
“Would you like more time? Yeah, you’d like to get another game or two to see him in a little more action. But what he’s proven to us in practice the last couple of years, what he’s done out here, what he did in the game the other night, again he was smart with the football, made great decisions, threw the ball with accuracy. Those are all things you look for in the backup. . . . He did a nice job in kind of solidifying that spot.”
That spot is an important one for the Eagles, given Wentz’s injury history. In each of the last two seasons, the Eagles had to turn to Nick Foles in December and January. Foles, who led the team to its first-ever Super Bowl win two seasons ago, is now gone.
Pederson also said he doesn’t currently plan to add to a quarterback depth chart that includes veteran Cody Kessler and rookie Clayton Thorson. But Pederson didn’t close the door on the possibility of adding another arm while Sudfeld recovers.
Looking ahead to Week One, the Eagles likely will be required at a minimum to carry three quarterbacks on the open roster, unless Sudfeld heals unexpectedly quickly. They could decide to keep four, if they think Thorson isn’t ready to play and if they don’t want to risk another team snatching the fifth-round pick from Northwestern on waivers.