ORLANDO, Fla. — The Eagles are interested in signing former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, according to a league source, but they need their medical staff to evaluate Sanchez before reaching a deal.
Sanchez missed all of last season with a torn labrum suffered on Aug. 24, making a medical evaluation an important prerequisite for signing him. If healthy, Sanchez would fill the team’s need for a veteran backup after Michael Vick signed with the Jets last week.
With Nick Foles entrenched as the starting quarterback, the only other quarterbacks on the roster are Matt Barkley and G.J. Kinne. Neither reserve has NFL starting experience or has proven to be a capable backup, which explains why the Eagles are interested in a veteran No. 2.
“That’s one of the positions we’ve always talked about having, a lot of depth, a lot of competition,” general manager Howie Roseman said Monday at the NFL league meetings. “If there was an opportunity for us to add a player that we thought added competition, was a good player, we’d have to look at that.”
A standout at Southern California, Sanchez was the No. 5 overall pick in 2009 and twice quarterbacked the Jets to the AFC championship game. Despite a 33-29 regular-season record as a starter, Sanchez’s statistics have been unremarkable. He has thrown 68 touchdowns, 69 interceptions, and has a 55.1 percent completion percentage during five seasons.
His postseason performances were more impressive. Sanchez has thrown nine touchdowns and three interceptions in six postseason games. He won four of those games, each on the road.
The Rams, Titans and Browns have also expressed interest, according to the New York Daily News. Roseman has repeatedly reiterated that the starting job is not available in Philadelphia, which is why Vick signed with the Jets for a one-year, $5 million deal.
“I don’t think this was a money issue at all,” Roseman said Monday of Vick leaving. “I think for him, it was about the opportunity and what he wanted to do. We couldn’t compete with that.”
If Sánchez were to sign with the Eagles, his top competition for the backup spot would be Barkley, the Eagles’ fourth-round pick who actually replaced Sanchez at USC.
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