The Philadelphia Eagles need to sign AAF star QB Garrett Gilbert

With the AAF now over, the Philadelphia Eagles should sign Orlando Apollos’ star Garrett Gilbert to help fill out their quarterbacks room.

In the span of a few weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles went from having arguably the best quarterbacks room in all of football to one of the most uncertain.

After playing chicken with using the franchise tag on Nick Foles, a move they ultimately opted against; Eagles currently have two signal callers under contract; the unquestioned incumbent starter Carson Wentz and the recently re-upped backup Nate Sudfeld.

Now from an external perspective, it’s hard to judge whether or not Sudfeld can fill Foles’ sizeable shoes, as we’ve only really seen him play in preseason games and a few end-of-the-year outings, but clearly Philly’s brass feels differently as no other quarterback was even really considered during this year’s free agency period.

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However, in a strange twist of fate, the perfect quarterback for the Eagles needs may have just come available and could be had for very little money: Garrett Gilbert.

For those unfamiliar with Gilbert, which is probably most, the 6-foot-4, 230 signal-caller spent five seasons in college, three at Texas and two at SMU before being drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the then-St. Louis Rams.

From there, Gilbert bounced around the league, playing for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, and before seemingly finding a home with the Carolina Panthers, he was ultimately waived on December 31st after his first career start.

But unlike the previous half-dozen times Gilbert was waived, this time he had a plan, as he was selected seventh overall in the QB-only draft by the Orlando Apollos of the American Alliance of Football (AAF).

From there, Gilbert took the new developmental league by storm, throwing for 1,842 yards and 11 touchdowns while leading his team to a 7-1 record; the best in the league.

Though far from his (presumed) dream gig, it looked like Gilbert had finally found his niche and could settle in as Orlando’s first ever franchise quarterback, however, things don’t always work out.

On Tuesday, April 2nd, the AAF owner Thomas Dundon officially announced that they were suspending all football activities within the organization, effectively folding the league and releasing every player from their contracts. That means Gilbert is an unrestricted free agent, who could conceivably sign with any team he likes in the NFL, XFL, or Arena Football.

I don’t know about you, but Gilbert sounds like the exact kind of player I’d want to see in camp with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sure, Gilbert never really caught on in his first stint in the league, but sometimes extra playing time, when mixed with age, is a potent cocktail that can turn around a player’s career.

Need proof? Look no further than Trent Richardson; the former third overall pick who traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Indianapolis Colts for another first-rounder before ultimately flaming out in a fantastical fashion after only four years in the league. In the eyes of many, Richardson was done, but after taking four years off from football, save a tryout with the Baltimore Ravens and an abbreviated stint in Canada, he found new life as the bell-cow rusher for the Birmingham Iron, where he rushed for 366 yards on 125 carries and 11 touchdowns.

Will he ever be a leading rusher on an NFL team again? Probably not, but the fact that Richardson could earn a new NFL contract and a role as a short-yardage power back is pretty incredible when you consider just how unlikely that looked six months ago.

While Gilbert was never a first round pick, and only started one game over his five-year career, he could soon also find gainful employment by an NFL team as a sort of Case Keenum-esque backup.

Next. Eagles would be better off focusing on younger running backs over Darren Sproles. dark

With Gilbert in the fray, the Eagles would have a second developmental quarterback prospect with more recent starting experience who could challenge Sudfeld for the team’s second quarterback spot, and give the team a third option should Wentz again go down with another season-ending injury. For a relatively meager contract, like the two-year, $1.02 million deal he signed with Carolina back in 2017, Howie Roseman could secure a solid backup quarterback with experience in a variety of different schemes coming off the best season of his professional career.

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