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The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off one of the surprising trades as the 53-man roster reduction day draws near. Hours after the team’s pre-season final against the New York Jets, Philadelphia sent a conditional sixth-round pick in 2022 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Gardner Minshew. Jacksonville’s pick may advance to a fifth-round pick in 2022 if Minshew plays at least 50% of the snaps in three games this season.
How did the Eagles and Jaguars fare in this deal? It turns out that they have both completed their assignments as the 53-man deadline draws near.
Eagles: One
Watching the Philadelphia backup quarterback situation this preseason was appalling. Joe Flacco didn’t seem to fit the offense and Nick Mullens struggled throughout the exhibition portion of the schedule. The Eagles couldn’t continue with Mullens on the roster as the veteran quarterback didn’t have the zip on his throws after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this offseason. Mullens looked at if he needed more time to regain his arm strength and fastball, which is why the Eagles released him immediately after Minshew’s trade was official.
Flacco’s future is uncertain, although the Eagles have guaranteed the former Super Bowl MVP $ 3.5 million. The veteran appeared to be in contention for the Eagles quarterback position ahead of Minshew’s trade, but the Eagles played him the entire first half of the preseason final against the Jets – a potential showcase for d ‘ other teams who need a backup quarterback. Flacco could still stay on that list as a No.3 quarterback, even though $ 3.5million is a lot of money for a player who would be inactive most Sundays (barring injury).
Let’s move on to Minshew, who should be the No.2 quarterback on this list. The CV speaks for itself.
Minshew completed 66.1% of his passes last season for 2,259 yards with 16 touchdowns from five interceptions, finishing with a quarterback rating of 95.9. He started 20 games for the Jaguars over his two NFL seasons, completing 62.9% of his passes with 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions (93.1 rating). Minshew is 25th in the league in completion percentage, 20th in touchdowns and fourth in interception percentage (1.38) since joining the league in 2019. His 93.1 passer rating is 12th higher for a quarterback after their first two seasons (minimum 500 attempts).
The Eagles have given up on a sixth-round pick (potentially a fifth), for a quarterback who can step in if Hurts gets injured. Minshew’s skill set fits this offense better than Flacco and knows a key member of that front office. Former Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell joined the Eagles as personnel manager this offseason after spending eight years leading the Jacksonville front office. Caldwell selected Minshew in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and helped bring him to Philadelphia.
Improving depth in the quarterback is a mantra for the Eagles under the guidance of general manager Howie Roseman. They accomplished this with Trade Minshew – a proven quarterback who can start in this league if needed for a day three pick.
Jaguars: A-
Jacksonville was never going to start Minshew against Trevor Lawrence, no matter how head coach Urban Meyer tried to turn the quarterfinals competition this offseason. Once Lawrence was officially named a starting quarterback, Minshew was on the block. The Jaguars have also signed CJ Beathard this offseason, which rises to the No.2 quarterback role. They also have Jake Luton on the roster, so the quarterback is ready.
This move was about Lawrence, making sure he’s the quarterback and won’t look over his shoulder (he shouldn’t have to do that anyway) in a rookie season where he learns to play in the NFL. . The Jaguars are still rebuilding the roster and looking to see what pieces fit Lawrence as he plays all 17 games of his rookie season (except injury). Not having Travis Etienne puts the brakes on Lawrence’s development, but he will grow in the system throughout the first year. Minshew did his job of providing adequate competition for Lawrence before the formality of general choice # 1 getting the starting job fell to him.
Give Jacksonville credit. They drafted a quarterback in the sixth round, developed it, and potentially got a higher draft pick in exchange for that quarterback two years later. Of the 41 quarterbacks drafted in the sixth round or later since 2010, Minshew has been by far the most productive outside of Tyrod Taylor. Getting interim compensation for Minshew is a victory in broader terms, but could they have gotten better compensation for him if they had waited a few more days? It didn’t help Minshew to be on the trading block he was known in the league and Jacksonville was still able to land a decent Day 3 pick for him.
Jacksonville takes a hit at the backup quarterback, but Lawrence is the franchise quarterback on a rebuilding team. The Jaguars didn’t need a premium quarterback on this list.
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