National media outlet names Eagles' most underrated move of the offseason
The Philadelphia Eagles came up just short of their ultimate goal in 2022, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. Fortunately for the Eagles, their Super Bowl window isn't closing anytime soon. The Eagles' roster, despite a couple of losses this offseason, is in a great spot to compete for a […]
The Philadelphia Eagles came up just short of their ultimate goal in 2022, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII.
Fortunately for the Eagles, their Super Bowl window isn't closing anytime soon.
The Eagles' roster, despite a couple of losses this offseason, is in a great spot to compete for a championship.
ESPN thinks Philadelphia's most underrated move of the offseason was signing quarterback Marcus Mariota to serve as Jalen Hurt's backup in 2023.
From ESPN: This is an organization that won its only Super Bowl championship with backup Nick Foles, forever affirming its philosophy to invest in the No. 1 backup QB. And when you have a starting quarterback who runs the ball — Jalen Hurts ranks second in QB contacts (375) since the start of the 2021 season — the risk of injury goes up, making it all the more important to have a solid option behind him. Mariota has started 74 games and is capable of steering the ship for a stretch should Hurts miss time with injury, as he has each of the past two seasons.
Mariota signed a one-year deal with the Eagles that's worth up to $8 million.
I don't think anyone is expecting Mariota to lead Philly to a win in the Super Bowl if something happens to Hurts.
But the fact of the matter is that the Eagles had to have a quality backup in place. Hurts has missed two games in each of the last two seasons. It's certainly possible he plays in all 17 games in 2023, but the odds are likely that he'll miss a game or two. And that one game or two could be extremely important for the Eagles when it comes to playoff seeding.
Having Mariota, a fringe NFL starter, as a backup gives the Eagles a decent shot at winning any games that Hurts might miss. And because Mariota's skillset is similar to Hurts' skillset, the offense could remain largely the same (with some obvious tweaks) if Mariota is forced to start.
Backup quarterback signings don't usually move the needle, but bringing Mariota to Philadelphia was a brilliant move by the Eagles' front office.
