Howie Roseman explains rationale behind Eagles keeping 4 quarterbacks

When the Philadelphia Eagles released their initial 53-man roster, the biggest surprise was the decision to keep four quarterbacks instead of making a choice between Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee at QB2.

Did the Eagles really struggle to pick between the duo? Do they still believe one of them could be traded at some point in the future, bringing in a Day 3 selection instead of guaranteeing that one of Uar Bernard or Joshua Weru wouldn’t be claimed off waivers?

Breaking down his decision with reporters on Monday, Howie Roseman wouldn’t reveal his QB2 heading into Week 1 for competitive reasons but did explain why he felt comfortable retaining all four of his signal callers.

“Anything that goes into preparations for Washington, you know, we’re going to keep close to the vest. Certainly that’s part of it, the strategy for when we play Washington. Four quarterbacks, most important position in sports” Roseman said.

“I feel like all those guys have value for our team. Some of them, obviously some is short-term value, some is long-term value when you think about Cole. And so just as we went through the process here, just thought it was the right thing to do for our football team.”

Asked about the recent trend of NFL teams keeping four quarterbacks, with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and Pittsburgh Steelers following the Eagles’ formula on their initial 53-man roster, Roseman noted it wasn’t something the team necessarily planned to do, but instead a reminder of the reality that quarterback is the most valuable position in football.

“It’s just such a valuable position, you know, and just from our perspective, you know, last year, obviously we took someone in the fifth-round, let him go. He left, our practice probably goes somewhere else, traded for a sixth-round pick,” Roseman noted.

“You know, these guys are valuable. They take time to develop. At the same time, that position is so valuable to this organization over a long period of time. And so I want to be strong there. And, you know, I think both those guys behind Jalen have value and have shown that over the course of their careers. And we kind of take all the information at our disposal to make all these decisions.”

In football, there’s an old adage that goes if a team has two quarterbacks, they really have none. Fortunately for the Eagles, they are set at QB1 with Jalen Hurts, but if his play slips considerably, or he suffers an injury, the lack of clarity behind him is concerning to say the least.