By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer
Amid the question marks the cover the majority of the Eagles roster, they have at least one sure thing set for the future: their quarterback.
With Carson Wentz coming off a rookie campaign that saw his play drift between average and inspiring, it seems like the Eagles have finally found the long-term answer at quarterback they've been searching for since the trade of Donovan McNabb in 2010.
Who's Here?
Wentz and Chase Daniel are the only quarterbacks that are currently under contract.
Who Stays?
Wentz isn't going anywhere. The team sank a lot of resources in drafting him and his rookie season went about as well as anybody could've hoped. Wentz posted a QB rating of 79.3 with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. With a full offseason to work with Doug Pederson and work out the kinks in his footwork, mechanics and decision-making, Wentz could be poised for a breakout season in 2017.
Wentz been pegged as the franchise savior and will be given every opportunity to lead this team into the future, even if he falters during his sophomore season.
Daniel will also be here for the next year. Not only is he Pederson's right-hand man, but the backup QB has a contract that simply won't allow the Eagles to move him until 2018. If the Birds were to cut Daniel before the beginning of the season, they would only save $1 million and still be forced to pay the QB $7 million to sit at home. The coaching staff has raved about Daniel's presence in meetings and he's a good veteran presence for Wentz to lean on, but if he's pressed into action, things could get hairy.
Who Goes?
Neither Wentz nor Daniel will be searching for new teams this offseason, but the Eagles did not sign Aaron Murray to a futures contract. The former Georgia Bulldog and Kansas City Chief spent all of 2016 on the Eagles practice squad.
Who's Available?
With Wentz, the Eagles will not be searching for a top-tier quarterback and with Daniel's cap hit, they can't afford to pay a top backup, so any moves they make at quarterback will be with the third slot on their depth chart. During the Eagles' heyday with Andy Reid, they had a superstar with McNabb, a veteran backup, Koy Detmer and a young, developing quarterback in A.J. Feeley. With Wentz and Daniel, the Eagles already have the first two slots filled, so they could be looking for a young guy that could be groomed to replace Daniel as the backup once he moves on.
It will be interesting to see how Howie Roseman addresses this. The Eagles will undoubtedly bring in a few quarterbacks for OTAs, perhaps undrafted guys like Temple's Phillip Walker or Penn's Alek Torgersen would make sense for that role.
But as far as guys who have a legitimate shot at making the 53-man roster, I doubt Roseman would want to waste one of his precious draft choices on such a frivolous need, especially when the Eagles need young, cheap talent at so many positions. Expect the Eagles to scour the waiver wire through free agency and during OTAs in order to find a guy who they believe could help them out in a back up role down the road.