Eagles find their 3rd quarterback via waiver claim from Saints originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles have found their third quarterback, claiming Notre Dame product Ian Book, who was released at final cuts by the Saints.
After Tuesday’s cut deadline, Eagles general Manager Howie Roseman said the Eagles would “for sure” have a third quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew on the active roster or practice squad.
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By claiming Book, they’ll have three on their 53-man roster.
During the summer, the Eagles had Reid Sinnett working as their third-string quarterback but Sinnett really struggled in the preseason, playing his way out of a roster spot. They also had UDFA Carson Strong from Nevada, but Strong barely got any practice reps or snaps in games.
The Eagles, meanwhile, had two of their cuts get claimed by other teams: OL Jack Anderson was claimed by the Giants and Josh Blackwell by the Bears.
In order to make room for Book, the Eagles must make a corresponding move. They cannot just put a player on IR.
Book, 24, was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round in 2021 (pick 133 overall). He ended up playing in one game as a rookie. Book (6-0, 206) started for the Saints in Week 15 against the Dolphins. In that game, he completed 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards and 2 interceptions in a 20-3 loss.
During his college career at Notre Dame, Book completed 63.8% of his passes for nearly 9,000 yards with 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He was a three-year starter for the fighting Irish.
Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Book during the 2021 pre-draft process:
“Notre Dame's winningest quarterback brings plenty of leadership and overall intangibles with him. He has big game experience in his background, too. However, his size and arm strength fall below NFL standards and there isn't anything in his game that he can really hang his hat on that counters those issues. He makes receivers work too hard for the catch and was dreadful throwing outside the numbers in 2020. He's effective in RPO calls. He also does a nice job of feeling pocket pressure and sliding around it or getting outside the pocket to make plays. He's a capable runner and a plus athlete but doesn't have the necessary play traits to make a splash in the NFL.”
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