It looks like the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles might swap former starting quarterbacks, at least if some of Eagles head coach Chip Kelly’s comments are taken seriously.
With the emergence of Nick Foles as a starter and the departure of Michael Vick to the Jets, the Eagles need a solid backup quarterback — a role that former New York signal-caller Mark Sanchez might be able to fill.
“I think Mark’s a very, very good athlete,” Kelly said Wednesday at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. “He started (68) games in this game. He’s got great experience. There’s a lot of positive qualities to him.”
As of now, the Eagles’ backup quarterback is USC product Matt Barkley, who underwhelmed in the limited time he saw last season. A source told the New York Daily News that Sanchez is expected to soon visit an interested team, which most likely is the Eagles.
Sanchez is coming off shoulder surgery, but he could be just the piece that Kelly is seeking to provide depth and experience at a valuable position.
“We’re always looking for that backup position behind Nick in terms of what we can do to bolster it whether it’s through free agency, who’s available now or through the draft,” Kelly said. “We’ll see where we go. But it’s a position of need for us.”
