Even if the Eagles stick with Jalen Hurts at quarterback in 2021, they’ll still need to find a new backup.
This one makes plenty of sense.
The Eagles have interest in pending free agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to Adam Caplan of Inside the Birds.
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Brissett, 28, has an obvious connection with new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and several of the assistant coaches under him after playing four of his five NFL seasons in Indianapolis. Brissett and Sirianni have been together since the 2018 season.
Earlier this offseason, Brissett was one of five possible backup quarterback options I listed for the Eagles because of that connection.
While Sirianni prides himself on constructing an offense around his players, there are certain staples of his scheme. And bringing in a quarterback who has an intimate knowledge of those staples and the verbiage used would be helpful.
During his four years in Indy, Brissett has been the full-time starter for two. In 2019, he became the starter after Andrew Luck abruptly retired. He went 7-8, completing 61% of his passes for 2,942 yards with 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also rushed for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns.
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Brissett isn’t as much of a threat to run the ball as Hurts but he will use his legs. And having a backup quarterback with a somewhat similar set of skills as the starter has its benefits. That way if the starter goes down, the offense doesn’t have to completely flip.
And the idea of a veteran quarterback with knowledge of the scheme who can bring along the younger starter is quite appealing as well. If the Eagles were to bring in Brissett they might even call it a competition in training camp.
It’s unclear how much money Brissett will make on the open market and perhaps the Eagles would be better off putting what little cap space they’ll have in other areas. But we also know how much emphasis the franchise puts on the quarterback positions.
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