New Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson is reportedly bringing in a QB he knows in Chase Daniel.
The plan at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles is more Sam Bradford. But if he falters, there’s a brand new fallback option, as ESPN Insider Adam Schefter reports that the team is signing Chase Daniel away from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Eagles and QB Chase Daniel agreed in principle on multi-year deal, per @caplannfl and me. Daniel reuniting with Doug Pederson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2016
Daniel entered the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri, spending his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He’s been in Kansas City since 2013, where Pederson was his offensive coordinator, so the familiarity factor can’t be ignored.
There’s a school of thought that the 29-year old Daniel could be a starting caliber QB, but he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove it so far playing behind durable starters Drew Brees and Alex Smith. His career record is 1-1 with just one NFL touchdown, and he attempted only two passes in 2015.
He can scoot when he gets out of the pocket, so he offers a bit more mobility that Bradford. Pro Football Talk hints that maybe Daniel would get a chance to compete for the top spot, but it’s more likely he’s being brought in to give Pederson someone to provide a comfort level if Bradford takes a step back or becomes reacquainted with the injury bug that has plagued him in the past.
PFT also thinks Daniel’s arrival in Philly could mean the “Sanchize” era is over, with Mark Sanchez a pretty obvious target of cost-cutting measures. If that is indeed the case, fans of other NFL East teams will certainly miss him.