Why the Eagles Shouldn’t Trade for Davis Mills
NFL Ceiling?
There’s a few concerns that come with trading for Mills. First and foremost is his results as a pro so far.
Though wins shouldn’t be considered a QB stat, the Stanford product’s career record of 5-19-1 does look scary. Even worse, however, are his turnover troubles. Mills has thrown a whopping 25 interceptions in 28 career games, some of which have been head-scratchingly bad.
The one major knock on Mills coming out of college was his lack of experience as a starter for the Cardinal. His lacking decision-making, which includes taking 31 sacks so far as well, certainly speaks to this.
Would the Eagles really feel confident throwing him out on the field if Hurts were to go down? Does he really have what it takes to lead a team to a win? The jury’s still out on those pressing issues.
Too Early?
It’s also fair to wonder about the impact of trading for Mills right now on the quarterback room, especially Mariota. After all, the latter’s dual-threat abilities make him one of the best backup options for this offense. Obviously this unit would miss Hurts if he was out, but a transition to Mariota is much easier than someone who’s more of a pocket presence like Mills.
Mariota is also learning another system and playbook for the second straight offseason after joining Atlanta last year. There’ll obviously be an adjustment period, which is likely the root of his early camp struggles.
They say iron toughens iron as well, so the Eagles’ defense giving the veteran early hurdles to overcome could be exactly what he needs. If this preparation makes him the best backup he can be, then all of this will be worth it.
It seems simply too early to jump ship on Mariota. Risking pissing him off and losing an ideal Hurts replacement, if he works out, greatly outweighs taking a chance on an unknown in Mills.
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