Reports: Eagles, Sanchez Agree To Terms
Mark Sanchez was in town today to get checked out by Eagles doctors.
And apparently, the team was pleased with what it saw. Sanchez and the Eagles have agreed to terms, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who reports that the veteran QB will officially sign today.
Sanchez, 27, missed the entire 2013 campaign after injuring his throwing shoulder in the preseason. He had labrum surgery back in October.
“Obviously we lost Mike [Vick], so we’re always trying to look in that backup position behind Nick [Foles] in terms of what we can do to bolster it – whether it’s through free agency, who’s still available now or through the draft,” said Chip Kelly on Wednesday.
“It’s a position of need for us. We played three quarterbacks last year. I don’t think you can look at your roster and ever say, ‘Hey, we’re good at quarterback.’ I think you always have to look at that position. It’s the key position in this game. And it’s something we’re always gonna look at. I don’t think anybody’s ever gonna say, ‘Hey, I’ve got too many quarterbacks. I’m good.’ ”
Asked specifically what he likes about Sanchez, Kelly said: “I think Mark’s a very, very good athlete. He’s started 60-some games in this league. He’s got great experience. There’s a lot of positive qualities to him.”
A first-round pick (fifth overall) in 2009, Sanchez started 62 games in five seasons for the Jets. He completed 55.1 percent of his passes, averaged 6.48 yards per attempt and threw 68 touchdowns against 69 interceptions. He has a career QB rating of 71.7.
In the past 10 years, among QBs who attempted at least 1,500 passes, only two have completed worse than 56 percent and averaged less than 6.5 YPA: Sanchez and Kerry Collins.
While at USC, Sanchez (6-2, 227) went 1-1 against Oregon in 2007 and 2008. He completed 65.2 percent of his passes and tossed five touchdowns against two interceptions in those games. Kelly was the offensive coordinator of those Oregon teams.
We’ll find out what the money looks like on Sanchez’s deal. Perhaps this is a risk-free move and the Eagles can cut him if they don’t like what they see this summer.
Or perhaps it will signal that they think Sanchez is a better option than Matt Barkley to be Foles’ backup.