Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars. (Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
The Eagles pulled the trigger on a Gardner Minshew trade that has NFL Twitter both confused but also intrigued by what happens next.
With two weeks to go before the start of the new NFL season, the Eagles and Jaguars gave us our first big 11th hour roster move.
Gardner Minshew, who created a wave of Minshew Mania two years ago, was traded to Philadelphia for a conditional sixth-round pick that could be as high as a fifth-rounder. The Jaguars, with Trevor Lawrence as their starter, viewed C.J. Beathard as the better backup option and scheme fit for whatever Urban Meyer is cooking up in Duval.
That meant Minshew was expendable, and the Eagles surprisingly picked him up despite already having a starter (Jalen Hurts) and a multimillion dollar backup (Joe Flacco).
The reactions to the trade ranged from fans in Philly wondering what exactly adding Minshew to a crowded and expensive quarterback room does, to observations about how the Jaguars might have already bungled Trevor Lawrence’s early development by not making a Minshew move earlier.
NFL Twitter reacts to Gardner Minshew trade
Perhaps the strangest part about the trade is the fact that the Eagles didn’t need Minshew on the depth chart. He no doubt adds great value in the quarterback room, but Philly paid Joe Flacco $3.5 million this offseason to come in and back up Hurts — a plan that doesn’t seem to be changing.
Minshew and Flacco backing up Hurts likely gives new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni some peace of mind when it comes to what might happen if things go awry. Hurts has two smart quarterbacks to help his development as a starter, and having three starting quarterbacks in its quarterback room surely won’t stoke any local sports talk radio coals and create beautifully entertaining chaos this season.