It’s Time to Trust the Eagles Quarterback Factory

With two Eagles preseason games wrapped up, it’s getting to be the time to look at the position battles closing soon. There’s been a lot of takeaways from the games versus the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, both positive and negative. There has been a lot to consider for the numerous position battles for Eagles coaches and management. Yet, one position battle that needs to be towards the top of their minds is the backup quarterback spot.

It’s likely a surprise that they would have to even consider that a position battle, but throughout training camp and preseason it’s become an important decision. General Manager Howie Roseman was the one that coined the term ‘quarterback factory’ and it is time to put full trust and support into that idea.

Who Should Be the Eagles Backup Quarterback?

Marcus Mariota’s Poor Performances

When the Eagles signed Marcus Mariota this offseason, it only made sense. Adding a veteran quarterback who theoretically fits the power run offense for the Eagles and who is also known to be a mentor to young quarterbacks seemed like a slam dunk. Coming off a year with the Atlanta Falcons where Mariota lost his starting role, many still believed he could be a top-quality backup, especially in the Eagles system. However, it just hasn’t panned out that way so far. Mariota has struggled in both games versus the Browns and Ravens in multiple ways. Against the Ravens, Mariota finished 7/11 on completions with 58 yards passing, adding four rushes for 29 yards. Against the Browns, Mariota finished 9/17 with 86 yards and one interception playing the entire first half.

During the Ravens game, Mariota was way too passive and missed several receivers down the field. His conservative play led to drives stalling too often. The quarterback position is hard to play, but the bottom line of quarterback play will always be about hitting the open receivers, which is something he also struggled with versus the Browns. He was missing open receivers all over the field, often over-throwing them. He particularly had a bad interception late in the first quarter where he overthrew a tight end down the middle straight to the Browns safety. All in all, in these two games, Mariota just looked uncomfortable; uncomfortable in the pocket, unsure if he should take off or stand tall, and uncomfortable with the timing and placement when throwing to the receivers. Not only that, but it looks as if some of his physical talent has diminished as well.