Clayton Thorson has had an up and down rookie training camp, and with the backup quarterbacks expected to take the bulk of the snaps on Thursday night against the Titans, the former Northwestern star will have the opportunity to cement his status on the Eagles roster.
Thorson is almost 12 training camp practices into his NFL career, so it’d be unfair to access his ability to play quarterback in the National Football League off those few repetitions. The Eagles love the idea of developing signal-callers with the idea of getting compensation for them later. Thorson was selected in the fifth round to further his development as the third quarterback behind Carson Wentz and Nate Sudfeld, but his performance so far has left a lot to be desired.
On Tuesday, Thorson had his best day as a pro, hooking up with Greg Ward on a deep ball and showing the accuracy that made him a fifth-round pick. Thorson has had a rough camp, and if Cody Kessler can flash the potential that made him a third-round pick, he could make it a tough decision for the Eagles in regards to Thorson’s roster spot.
Thorson has been splitting third-team reps with the veteran Kessler, who has started 12 games in the NFL and has outplayed the rookie in training camp so far. Would the Eagles’ risk the potential that Thorson possesses and cut him, risking another team scooping him via waivers? Kessler has hit his ceiling and has likely shown his best stuff as a pro during his stint with the Jaguars.
Thursday will go a long way towards telling which one of the two quarterbacks will continue to make improvements here in Philadelphia with this great coaching staff.
