Former Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld Staying With the Eagles

Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld, a former Indiana star, agreed on a one-year deal with the Philadephia Eagles, staying with the team he's been with for three years.

The NFL is open for business despite the coronavirus pandemic, but that still doesn't mean that navigating the free agent waters is an easy thing. Former Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld knows that all too well.

So instead of shopping around for a new team and a new deal when the free agency window opened earlier this week, Sudfeld decided to stay with the Philadelphia Eagles and back up Carson Wentz. He agreed to a one-year deal with the team on Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed. 

The Eagles like Sudfeld a lot, and were thrilled to bring him back. They were hoping to get a good look at him during the preseason last year, but he broke his left wrist in the first preseason game. They know what he can do, though.

“We’re very comfortable with Nate,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said last month. “Obviously he has an opportunity. We’ll see what happens this spring when we get down the road with him, but he’s put himself in position to compete and possibly be the No. 2.”

Wentz is the locked-in starter for the Eagles, and Kyle Lauletta, who played his college ball at the University of Richmond, is also on the roster.  

Sudfeld, 26, hasn't started an NFL game yet in his career. He was a sixth-round pick of the Washington Redskins, but he was caught in a numbers game there. When the Redskins cut him and tried to move him to the practice squad, the Eagles grabbed him in 2017. He's been there ever since, but has thrown only 25 career passes in mop-up duty. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles in 2018.

Sudfeld played at Indiana from 2012 through 2015. His senior year, he threw for 3,573 yards and 27 touchdowns. In his final regular season game, he threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns in beating Purdue, making Indiana bowl eligible. They lost to Duke in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York. 

We had a chance to catch up on what's going on with Sudfeld this morning with Ed Kracz, my Sports Illustrated Eagles colleague. In this nice conversation, Ed updated us on how this Sudfeld deal came together, his role this year and what the Eagles think of him, and his great leadership qualities in the locker room. Check out the entire interview.

 Talking Nate Sudfeld with SI Eagles reporter Ed Kracz

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