Philadelphia Eagles sign undrafted QB Carson Strong as unrestricted free agent
Is the deal a dud or did the Philadelphia Eagles just pull off one of the the best moves of the 2022 NFL draft?
Having landed perhaps the best linebacker in the country, the Eagles looked to sure up the QB position with some quality support.
Why did the Eagles sign undrafted QB Carson Strong?
While they do have a quality QB in Jalen Hurts, there were a few eyebrows raised when it came to pass that the Philadelphia Eagles saw out the entire draft without trying to select a quarterback. Now it seems that the head scratching can come to an end as not only did they rectify the situation, but they may have got themselves a truly gifted play maker and one of the more surprising players across the entire 262 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Who did the Eagles sign? Carson Strong is his name and to be frank the Mountain West alumni is one of the best passers in College over the last three seasons.
Indeed, the now unrestricted free agent comes to Philadelphia having ranked first in completions with 852, fourth in pass yards at 9,368 and second in pass touchdowns with an impressive 74 in total. Strong was seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in completion rate with 70%, fifth in pass yards per game with 347.9 and tied for seventh in pass touchdowns at 36 in 2021. There is also his 4,175 passing yards in 2021, which were the third-most in his college’s history.
Why did Carson Strong go undrafted?
It must be said that the quarterback class of the 2022 NFL Draft was somewhat below expectations with just one signal caller being selected among the first 73 picks. With the aforementioned numbers, a valid question would be ‘why did Carson Strong go undrafted?’ According to NFL.com the answer is simple and that’s the unfortunate fact that Strong has a history of problems with his knee. The quarterback has an ongoing battle with a condition known as osteochondritis dissecans, which sadly results in knee cartilage being affected. As it stands he has undergone several operations, including one as recently as 2021. On several occasions he has seen his knee drained of fluid and understandably will likely have to do so again. For this reason, as talented as Strong appears to be, many teams were scared away from the idea of signing him.
What awaits Carson Strong in Philadelphia?
As is widely known, Jalen Hurts is the corner stone quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and behind him at No. 2 is back up QB Gardner Minshew. Yet it must be said that knee condition aside, Strong most definitely has the frame and arm of a quality quarterback. The rookie has definitely demonstrated his ability to fire off deep passes and into tight spaces, which is to say there could well be a path towards becoming the Eagles’ back up. Even more so when considering that GM Howie Roseman is ever the opportunist - the reason Strong has arrived in the first place - such that he could well choose to offload the Eagles’ current No. 2. Expect big things from Carson Strong even if he starts out small.