The Ebb And Flow Of The Eagles' QB3 Competition

You’ll often hear Eagles coach Nick Sirianni say there are ebbs and flows to training camp.

Boil that down to the back end of Philadelphia’s depth chart at quarterback, and third-year QB3 candidate Dorian Thompson-Robinson is flowing just as rookie sixth-round pick Kyle McCord is ebbing.

There’s little doubt that the Eagles would like to keep both with the bridge of the practice squad behind Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee. The complication that neither DTR nor McCord is vested means both are subject to waivers, meaning a calculated risk in a profession where many of the 31 other teams are going to be in the market for a young QB with even a hint of upside.

For now, Thompson-Robinson is clearly moving away from McCord on the practice field and Thursday's preseason opener against Cincinnati.

“I feel like I’m settling in well – scheme, teammates, coaches, being around the building, getting to know the city, I feel like I’ve adjusted well,” Thompson-Robinson said Saturday when asked about his recent push.

That said, the idea that the initial 53 is based solely on a meritocracy is one of the NFL’s biggest fallacies.

GM Howie Roseman’s decision remains relatively simple. Few have a better understanding of the market as a whole, and Roseman will risk the player he believes has a better chance to make it through waivers. 

Even that may be an exercise in futility in a QB-deficient league. Remember, Will Grier, a journeyman backup, was poached from the PS last season to return to Dallas when injuries mounted for the Cowboys. 

The take here is that Thompson-Robinson belongs in the NFL right now and could even push for a backup role in some lesser QB situations. Conversely, McCord doesn’t look ready in the short term but has the higher ceiling due to his processing skills and accuracy if kept clean.

The problem for McCord is that many third-team reps, even on a talented team like Philadelphia, are muddy, and when the Syracuse product has to go off-schedule, the strengths of his game dissipate.

In a worst-case-scenario projection where McCord is forced into action, the idea of playing with Lane Johnson, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Mailata, and Landon Dickerson makes his skill set far more intriguing.

If Thompson-Robinson finished the rest of the month like he’s started it, it’s almost inconceivable that someone doesn’t take a chance on the former UCLA star, beginning with Las Vegas, where former Bruins and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is now the OC.

DTR never misses an opportunity to give Kelly credit for the impact he’s had on the young QB’s career, and that’s likely reciprocal.

“I feel like a lot of that credit goes to Chip Kelly, my former college coach,” Thompson-Robinson said when asked why he seems to be clicking with the Philadelphia offense. “I feel like he’s brought a lot of those same similar concepts, and just the way they talk about progression here, and how friendly the offense is with the quarterback in terms of getting guys different route options, and protection responsibilities up front. 

“It just helps out a bunch, just the overall quarterback thought process, and just kind of minimizing mistakes from a mental standpoint.”