Gardner Minshew is a busy man.
A week ago, he was “competing” for the starting quarterback position for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His competition was none other than the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence.
This week, it was officially announced that he lost the job to Lawrence.
Many suspected Jaguars Coach Urban Meyer was up to something when he claimed Minshew was contending for the job in the first place.
Looks like he was.
Urban Meyer played the Gardner Minshew situation perfectly. We talked about this. Made it feel like he was pushing Trevor Lawrence — than moves him for a pick and hands job to his young star in a short sequence.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) August 28, 2021
Meyer pumped up Minshew’s stock in short order to trade him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
TRADE ALERT: Eagles acquire QB Gardner Minshew from the Jaguars in exchange for a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick. pic.twitter.com/Dq98setLrA
— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2021
What does Minshew’s arrival mean for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles quarterbacks?
1. Hurts Is On A Short Leash
It appears that the Eagles have learned nothing from their quarterback issues in years past.
Name a quarterback and stick with him through his ups and downs.
Hurts is a young quarterback who seized the job from Carson Wentz last year.
This move means Hurts could be looking over his shoulder the entire season and risk being benched.
Minshew is young but also established in the NFL.
Eagles just landed a 25-year old QB that has completed 62.9% with 37 TD, only 11 INT, and 93.1% rating in his first two seasons for a stinking 6th round pick. Gardner Minshew is a winning NFL quarterback. Absolute no-brainer deal for Howie Roseman.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) August 28, 2021
2. There Doubts About Hurts’ Readiness
The Eagles have a brand new coach in Nick Sirianni.
He essentially inherited Jalen Hurts.
Maybe there are some doubts internally if he is ready to be an NFL starting quarterback in only his second season?
Are the Eagles hedging their bets that Hurts may need another year or so of development before assuming the starting quarterback role in one of the toughest football cities around?
Gardner Minshew handing the Titans an L on Thursday Night Football was my favorite on-field #Jaguars memory of him.
Happy trails, Minshew Mania.
— Andrew Gibson (@1010XLAG) August 28, 2021
What Does This Mean For Joe Flacco And Nick Mullens?
As perplexing as this move must be for Hurts, imagine what Flacco and Mullens are thinking.
Hurts is the starting quarterback so presumably his role is fixed.
The Eagles signing Flacco has always been mysterious.
He is not mobile so the offense is extremely different when he is in the game compared to Hurts.
Then, there is Mullens who thought he was the third-string quarterback until Saturday.
Thinking on Gardner Minshew:
He is expected to enter as the No. 3 QB behind Hurts and Flacco.
Inexpensive. Has 2 years left on his rookie contract, salary of $850,000 this season.
Upgrade over Nick Mullens. Gives Eagles another QB with experience who can play in a pinch.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) August 28, 2021
One of these guys probably expects to be cut before Tuesday’s final roster cuts.
Which one will it be?
Mullens is the logical choice.
Bringing Minshew into the Eagles quarterback room just made things a lot more interesting in Philly.
