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The Philadelphia Eagles are in the market for a third string quarterback after cutting Tim Tebow and trading Matt Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles are looking for a passer to keep behind behind starter Sam Bradford and primary backup Mark Sanchez. Head coach Chip Kelly said as much during his press conference following Philadelphia's roster cuts on Saturday.
"We’re not done," Kelly said in response to why the team only kept Bradford and Sanchez. "So, there could be a third quarterback. We’ll look and see what happens with the waiver wire. Whether we add a quarterback to the active roster or to the practice squad, we will have a third quarterback."
The NFL waiver wire period ends at 12:00 PM EST today on Sunday, Sept. 6, so it won't be long until it's revealed if the Eagles put in a claim on a quarterback. Alternatively, the Eagles can sign a quarterback to their practice squad starting after 1:00 PM EST. But considering the Eagles cut down to 52 players, it seems like the team wants to keep the third quarterback on the roster.
While we wait, here are 10 options the Eagles might consider.
Christian Ponder
The Eagles are reportedly interested in the 27-year-old veteran. The former first round pick has struggled as a passer in the NFL but he has some starting experience. Ponder is a good athlete with mobility. He's 14-21-1 as a starter in his career. He's thrown 38 touchdowns to 36 interceptions. The Eagles could certainly do worse for a third string quarterback.
Austin Davis
This is an option that makes sense for the Eagles. The 26-year-old Davis played relatively well against Philadelphia last season. He passed for 375 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 103.7 passer rating against the Eagles in 2014. Davis is a solid athlete. He's completed 63.4% of his career passes and thrown 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Josh Johnson
The 29-year-old Johnson has been around in the NFL for quite a bit now. He played relatively well against for New York in the Eagles-Jets preseason finale. Johnson has plenty of experience and he can run the ball.
Matt Flynn
Flynn has played in 53 games and started seven. He's completed 61.3% of his passes for 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has plenty of experience.
Matt Cassel
The Bills released Cassel (who totally looks like Jared Leto) despite trading for him earlier this offseason. The 33-year-old Cassel was beaten out by the likes of Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel. Cassel had a good game against the Eagles in 2013 when Philadelphia played the Vikings in Minnesota. It was a trap game if there was ever a trap game.
Thaddeus Lewis
The Eagles worked out Lewis last year. The team obviously didn't have much interest in signing him at the time.
Logan Thomas
The 24-year-old Thomas was a fourth round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. He has great size and athleticism but he's raw as a passer.
Bryn Renner
Renner went undrafted in 2014. He had a nice showing against the Eagles backup defense in the preseason. Renner threw 15/21 for 158 yards (7.5 average), two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 124.7 rating against Philadelphia. He also ran for 22 yards on three attempts.
Bryan Bennett
Chip Kelly's former Oregon Ducks quarterback struggled in the preseason as a passer. He was the worst overall graded quarterback by Pro Football Focus. A position change might be in store for Bennett in the future.
Matt Blanchard
Blanchard threw a few nice passes against the Eagles backup defense this preseason. Blanchard was waived in Green Bay's first cuts, so he's already been available for a week now.
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Do any of these names do anything for you?