If Nate Sudfeld is indeed the Eagles best choice to backup Carson Wentz and eventually move on to leading his own ballclub, he’ll need to show his worth in camp and dispose of Cody Kessler rather quickly. Kessler was signed by the Eagles as legit competition to Sudfeld and with more game experience than Nate, the former USC Trojan could prove more valuable than initially perceived.
Kessler was drafted by the Cleveland Browns but finally got a chance to show his stuff after being traded to the Jaguars last season. After relieving Blake Bortles late in the year, Kessler showed decent passing skills for the Jags, completed 64.9 percent of his throws for 709 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, with a 77.4 passer rating in five games. Kessler may not have the talent to be a starting caliber quarterback, but he could flourish if called upon to relief Carson Wentz at some point 2019. If Kessler does indeed outperform Sudfeld, he could be suitable in relief with a running game and strong defense to support him. Kessler entering the game would be bad news for DeSean Jackson and others, but the tight ends and running backs for the Birds would stat stuff with him under center. Kessler struggles in other categories but is pretty good in the short passing game, where according to Pro Football Focus, he finished fifth in the league in passes that went less than 10-yards.
The four passers ahead of Kessler in that category were Alex Smith, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Baker Mayfield.
On throws under 10 yards, Kessler went 73-for-89 for 516 yards, one touchdown and one interception for an 89.9 passer rating.
When teams take away the underneath stuff and Kessler is forced to look downfield, he’s less than average, with has just one touchdown and one interception on passes that over 10 yards, going 12-for-31 for 193 yards, and a 57.8 passer rating.
Kessler has the talent and it’ll be interesting to see how the battle between he and Sudfeld plays out. For the Eagles, Sudfeld flourishing is a bonus, as they can turn his free agent signing elsewhere into a high comp pick.
