National Football League

Eagles shore up QB depth behind Jalen Hurts by grabbing Gardner Minshew

Updated Aug. 29, 2021 7:01 p.m. ET

As of Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback room is ready for anything.

The Eagles used a conditional sixth-round pick to get their hands on Gardner Minshew on Saturday, shoring up their backup QB position behind second-year starter Jalen Hurts.

The move comes after Jacksonville head coach Urban Meyer announced this week that No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence will start Week 1 for the Jags.

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Minshew started 20 games for Jacksonville the past two seasons, putting together a 7-13 record. But his record isn't entirely indicative of his individual success.

In 23 games, he threw for 5,530 yards, 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, completing 62.9% of his passes. His 95.9 passer rating last season was tied with that of Baker Mayfield for 16th-best in the NFL, ahead of the likes of Matt Ryan, Kyler Murray, Ben Roethlisberger and Jared Goff.

In other words, this is no normal backup QB. This is a legit backup QB.

Could another quarterback duel be brewing in Philadelphia? More than likely not, considering the Eagles open the season Sept. 12 at Atlanta. But Philly's stability under center will be something to keep an eye on, with Hurts having started only four games in his young career.

Hurts took over for the Eagles at starter in Week 14, after the team benched Carson Wentz, who is now quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts.

Hurts showed a few tremendous flashes in his four starts, specifically at Arizona in Week 15, when he completed 24 of 44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 11 times for 63 yards and a score, and in his four starts, he compiled 919 passing yards, five touchdowns and three picks, as well as 274 rushing yards and three scores.

However, Hurts was 1-3 in those four starts, and the Eagles put up only 20.3 points in those games.

Here's how social media responded to Minshew's landing in Philly behind the young Hurts:

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