As Eagles backup quarterback Mark Sanchez embarks on a quest to revive his career after a failed stint with New York, there is a certain former Philadelphia player now thriving with the Jets. No, it's not Michael Vick, though the veteran passer did throw two touchdowns on 10/18 passing in New York's 20-13 upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Instead, it's former Eagles safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. The 25-year old safety started in place of rookie Calvin Pryor, who was reportedly benched for being late to meetings. Jarrett excelled in against Pittsburgh: he recorded 10 tackles (7 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. He did all of this against a red hot Ben Roethlisberger who had thrown 12 touchdowns combined in the previous two weeks.
Jarrett's success comes as at a time where the Eagles secondary, outside of offseason addition, Malcolm Jenkins is struggling. The Eagles defense has gotten by with Nate Allen as a starter but he's proved to be very upgradeable.
That's not to say the Birds shouldn't have given up on Jarrett, taken No. 54 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, when they did. The Temple product never did anything in his short time with Philadelphia to warrant more of a chance. He struggled on the field and failed to make an impression on special teams. In short, he was a bust. The Eagles released Jarrett just one year after drafting him
It appears a change of scenery has proved to be best for Jarrett's career, despite the fact the Jets are very bad this season. It's also easy to imagine that the defensive coaching of Rex Ryan has helped. Time will tell if this is a blip on the radar for Jarrett or if he can fully resurrect his career as a reliable starter.