Eagles sign a UDFA quarterback with a ton of upside

[time2rock]

Eagles sign a UDFA quarterback with a ton of upside

 

The Eagles signed themselves a new Carson on Saturday evening.

As the Eagles make a furious push to bring in players in a very deep class of undrafted prospects, this one is notable.

They are signing former Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, according to Kirsten Moran of Nevada SportsNet.

Strong (6-3, 226) was once expected to be a high-round draft pick in this class but never heard his name called this weekend. He’ll join a quarterback room in Philadelphia that includes Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew and Reid Sinnett.

In 2021, Strong put up big numbers, throwing for 4,175 yards with 36 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions. He also completed 70% of his passes for two straight seasons.

So why was he available as a UDFA?

Well, he doesn’t move very well. In fact, he’s something of a statue in the pocket. It’s one thing to not be a threat to run, but Strong is a sitting duck.

But the real reason for the slide is likely his long history of injuries to his right knee dating back to high school. Strong has had multiple surgeries on it, as NFL.com detailed:

"Strong had multiple procedures on his right knee during the offseason, the same knee he had surgery on to repair an osteochondritis dissecans lesion before his senior season at Wood High School in California (eight biodegradable nails were inserted to affix his knee to the leg bone). He enrolled at Reno a semester early and redshirted the 2018 season, earning the team's Offensive Scout Player of the Year Award. Strong became the first freshman to start at Nevada in 20 years in 2019 (237-of-374, 63.4%, 2,335 yards, 11 TDs, seven INTs in 10 starts). After the 2020 season, however, he underwent surgery to clean up cartilage in the same knee with which he had issues in high school. Strong had an arthroscopic procedure to clear scar tissue in August and had the knee drained multiple times after that.”

So you can understand why that scared away teams during the draft.

With that said, Strong does have the desired quarterback frame and a big arm with the ability to fire passes deep and into tight windows. And he could have big upside as a UDFA.

The Eagles have Hurts as their starter and Minshew as their backup for now. But there’s always a chance the opportunistic Howie Roseman will ship away his backup quarterback before the season, which means there could even be a path for Strong to compete for the No. 2 job at some point.

First, the Eagles will get him into the NovaCare Complex for a physical and to sign his contract. We’ll see if he’s on the field next weekend for rookie camp.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-reportedly-signing-udfa-quarterback-carson-strong

[UK_EaglesFan89]

The sitting duck thing is a real concern to be fair. I know Brady isn't mobile but he's able to slide around and move about in the pocket enough to buy time and avoid being hit.

[PoconoDon]

Big arm with solid accuracy on the deep ball. That'll be what intrigues people. It's hard to imagine he'll be a star.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, PoconoDon said:

Big arm with solid accuracy on the deep ball. That'll be what intrigues people. It's hard to imagine he'll be a star.

Compared to what we have, it is quite easy to imagine.

[eglz1]

1 hour ago, PoconoDon said:

Big arm with solid accuracy on the deep ball. That'll be what intrigues people. It's hard to imagine he'll be a star.

He'll certainly never rush for 700 yards in a season which will disqualify him in some peoples' eyes. Will his knee survive the twists and turns of a collapsed pocket? I guess we'll all see.

[E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles]

11 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

The sitting duck thing is a real concern to be fair. I know Brady isn't mobile but he's able to slide around and move about in the pocket enough to buy time and avoid being hit.

I don't see that "sitting duck" in any of the videos of him before last year. IMO, he probably should have taken the advice to sit and heal and then stayed for his senior year.  It's commendable to try, but he really didn't help himself.

That said, he's certainly not mobile, but he doesn't give me Peyton Manning vibes either.  He seems to have adequate QB mobility, when healthy.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles said:

I don't see that "sitting duck" in any of the videos of him.  He's certainly not mobile, but he doesn't give me Peyton Manning vibes either.  He seems to have adequate QB mobility.

Agreed.  I am not sure what others are seeing, but he has the pocket movement you would see from a Matt Stanford.

This fascination with running has really warped peoples opinion of what a QB should have as a skill set.

[E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles]

2 minutes ago, downundermike said:

Agreed.  I am not sure what others are seeing, but he has the pocket movement you would see from a Matt Stanford.

This fascination with running has really warped peoples opinion of what a QB should have as a skill set.

I also think too many take a really shallow review of video evidence AND take posts here as "news feed."  His mobility is adequate, but hampered last year.  As I added to earlier post, he may not have helped himself playing below 100% last year. If he sat and healed and returned for his senior year, many questions would disappear before next year.  He clearly is a very talented QB..  

[birdman#12]

I prefer a guy who will hang in the pocket and not be thinking of running......Pocket passers win super bowls.  They still can be a "statue" if they can quick read and quick release.  

Strong has a quick release with a big time arm.  If he can improve his reads and progressions, he could be dangerous behind a very good O-line.  I hope he gets a chance....

[EaglesAddict]

The fact we got Strong as an UDFA is amazing.  Give him a year as the No. 3 and get his knee right and we will see.  There's nothing I read anywhere that says the knee is a long term concern...even if his past issues with it are concerning.  He shouldn't have played last year so hopefully he didn't do any long term damage.  

Once fully healthy, Strong has enough pocket mobility to be successful in that category.  

[Procus]

To me, the unanswered question, assuming this guy is as talented otherwise as he's hyped to be, is whether his bum knee can heal up or at least improve to some degree.

[Procus]

3 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

The fact we got Strong as an UDFA is amazing.  Give him a year as the No. 3 and get his knee right and we will see.  There's nothing I read anywhere that says the knee is a long term concern...even if his past issues with it are concerning.  He shouldn't have played last year so hopefully he didn't do any long term damage.  

Once fully healthy, Strong has enough pocket mobility to be successful in that category.  

What I like with a signing like this is that if the QB has potential, he can otherwise develop organically the way so many quarterbacks did in the past - by riding the bench and learning the position as a pro for a year or two before getting any meaningful playing time.

[matchew88]

So he moves like Tom Brady. Can he pass half as well?

[eglz1]

On 5/2/2022 at 11:17 PM, matchew88 said:

So he moves like Tom Brady. Can he pass half as well?

Another way to phrase the question is can he play the Quarterback position at a high level? There's more to it than being able to throw a ball 70 yards or run like a good running back.

[vaff]

On 5/3/2022 at 12:47 AM, matchew88 said:

So he moves like Tom Brady. Can he pass half as well?

Tom Brady knows exactly what the defense is going to do before the play even starts. He’s very smart at not playing hero ball, and getting rid of the ball when he knows the play is going nowhere. And he is unbelievably good at avoiding big hits. Him being the most aware QB in history is why he’s able to keep playing.