Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts nullifies any need for Colin Kaepernick

Why would the Philadelphia Eagles sign Colin Kaepernick when they have Jalen Hurts?

In his first real round of media availability since the 2020 NFL Draft, Doug Pederson made waves through a Philadelphia Eagles fanbase desperate for any real, substantive information from their favorite team.

From highlighting a potential role for first-round pick Jalen Reagor in the Eagles’ offense, to the team’s plan to look internally for a replacement for Brandon Brooks at right guard, Pederson laid the groundwork for a slew of articles you will surely be reading for the next week or so – and thankfully so.

But one comment – if you can even call it that – may stand above and beyond the rest as the true takeaway of the piece: The Eagles are open to signing Colin Kaepernick.

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In a conversation with 94 WIP’s Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team, Pederson showed his support for Kaep’s cause and the very concept of a peaceful protest, and asserted that he sees no reason why the former Super Bowl starter couldn’t come into a team and learn their scheme as a backup if he was all in.

These words – which again never once include the phrase ‘are interested in signing Colin Kaepernick – understandably drew a ton of attention from fans on both sides of the proverbial aisle, with some championing the potential signing and others cursing the very idea.

Only here’s the thing: There is almost no reason for the Eagles to sign Colin Kaepernick right now.

Now don’t get me wrong, 3-4 months ago I would have loved the addition of Kaepernick as a viable backup to Carson Wentz who can be active on game days and even log a handful of snaps as a change-of-pace, option-focused offensive weapon. After watching a 40-year-old Josh McCown limp through an anemic effort against the Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard round of the playoffs – injury or no injury – it’s clear the Eagles are only as good as their backup quarterback and should invest heavily in the position for the foreseeable future. Committing $10 million to Kaep, his reported asking price back in 2017, is rather steep, but not too much more on a yearly basis than the earnings of much lesser players like Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Marriott, and even the $10.5 million a year man himself, Tayson Hill.

However, the Eagles have already committed a ton of assets to their backup quarterback position; a backup quarterback who just so happens to also be an excellent option as a change-of-pace, RPO-heavy offensive weapon: Jalen Hurts.

Pederson said as much in his media availability, gushing about how impressed he was with the rookie’s progress and understanding of the playbook. While the Birds may still fall back on Nate Sudfeld as a full-time backup if anything were to happen to Carson Wentz right away, there’s no reason to believe Hurts won’t be seeing the field early and often for the Birds this fall.

Like Kaepernick, Hurts has experience playing in a few different offensive schemes, is a plus-athlete, and could be a seriously efficient weapon in the Eagles’ offense with some time to tune up on Pederson’s terminology. Like Kaep, Hurts ran a sub-4.6 40-yard dash, has a live arm, and uncanny ability to make plays both as a runner and a passer. On the right team – or more specifically, when paired up with a creative offensive coordinator like Greg Roman – either player could become an above-average starter with some tuning and outside-the-box thinking, they just can’t fill that same role on the same team.

You know what, Kaepernick and Hurts would actually make a pretty good one-two punch on a team with its ear to the college game, as the duo would both excel in an air raid scheme where the two moble quarterbacks could push each other to get better week after week. Heck, the duo could even share the field for a handful of snaps a game like how the Ravens will pair up Lamar Jackson and RGIII in their ‘Heisman’ backfield alongside 2011 winner Mark Ingram.

That, fortunately, or not, won’t happen in South Philly, as Wentz is still very much the Eagles’ franchise quarterback moving forward.

Don’t discount Jack Driscoll at right guard. dark. Next

So would Colin Kaepernick be a good fit in the Philadelphia Eagles offense? Probably so, but with Carson Wentz locked in at QB1, Nate Sudfeld still under contract, and Jalen Hurts waiting in the wings to fill a still rather unknown role as an offensive weapon, any hypothetical conversations about adding Kaep to Howie Roseman’s ‘Quarterback Factory’ are just that: Hypotheticals.

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