Doug Pederson knows the feeling of making it to the NFL and having to grind every day after not being an early-round draft pick.
Pederson originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Miami Dolphins in 1991 out of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (Then Northeast Louisiana) and spent more than a decade in the league as a backup quarterback. Now, as head coach of the Eagles, Pederson believes this pandemic filled offseason will provide an opportunity for lesser-known guys to seize the moment.
“I think that this is actually a good time to be a late-round pick and possibly a free agent, even these young draft picks,” Pederson said, via the Daily Times. “We’ve already had a week with them practicing on the grass. We’re going to get some really good opportunities here in these next coming weeks. They are going to learn a lot from the veterans. The way I have the schedule set up is for them to learn and to be successful. Once we get into the padded portion of training camp is where we really get to see where these guys are. We truly feel these young guys are going to be the ones who are going to have to help us throughout the entire season.”
The Eagles currently have 13 undrafted rookie free agents on the roster and six are looking at good shots of being in Philadelphia thanks to the expanded practice squads. Philadelphia is definitely a place where young guys get a shot thanks to the odds that Pederson, Duce Staley, and other Eagles faced.
