The Eagles have to be excited about the play of third string quarterback Nate Sudfeld. He’s got an NFL arm and he’s been showcasing it to the rest of the NFL. Eagles fans have been wondering why the Birds would signed free agent quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Now you know the reason they signed him. I don’t think they would be shocked if at some point, other teams around the NFL decide to offer the Birds something for Sudfeld. He definitely has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League.
The throw he made to Shelton Gibson out of the end zone last night was astonishing. He dropped the pass into Gibson’s bread basket for a 57-yard gain. He made another great throw on a 17-yard touchdown pass to veteran tight end Richard Rogers. Sudfeld threw a perfect pass to Rogers without a lot of room in the end zone. He made another amazing pass to wide receiver Rashard Davis for 31-yard touchdown pass and his third TD throw of the night.
Gibson has also shown us quite a bit. He’s got 4.3 speed and now he’s learning how to run routes. The move he made on the touchdown catch, left the Patriots cornerback on an island. Gibson was wide open on the play. He also caught that bomb from Sudfeld out of the end zone. Again his speed is a major factor and he seems to be able to get to maximum speed in a few strides. They’re going to be forced to put him on the field at some point this season.
I didn’t even say anything about Gibson’s 46-yard kickoff return. He followed his instincts on the return by taking the return to his right rather following the blocking to the left. He was able to get outside of the Patriots end defender then he turned on the speed and raced over 46 yards on the return.
If Shelton Gibson continues to develop his route tree and his hands stay consistent, next year he’s a legit #2 or slot receiver, with Agholor being the two or slot. It’ll be interesting to see how Mack Holins responds.