Eagles to sign quarterback Cody Kessler
Kessler, who played at USC, started eight games for the Browns as a rookie in 2016.
The Eagles are adding another quarterback. Cody Kessler, a former starter in Cleveland, will sign with the Eagles on Monday, according to a league source.
NFL Network first reported the news.
Kessler, who turned 26 Saturday, was a 2016 third-round pick by the Browns after starring at USC. He started eight games as a rookie. The Browns lost all eight games, but Kessler finished the year with six touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 65.8 percent of his pass attempts. He did not start in 2017 and was traded to Jacksonville, where he started four games last season while throwing for two touchdowns and two interceptions and completing 64.9 percent of his pass attempts. The Jaguars split those four games. They released Kessler on Thursday.
In Philadelphia, Kessler joins a quarterback room that already includes Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld and Clayton Thorson. They also have Luis Perez, who played in the AAF and competed in last week’s rookie minicamp. Sudfeld is the front-runner to be the No. 2 quarterback this season after working in the Eagles’ system since 2017. He was the backup quarterback in the Super Bowl a year ago and the Eagles gave him a second-round tender in restricted free agency. But with only 25 regular-season pass attempts, he lacks experience in the NFL. Thorson was the Eagles’ fifth-round pick last month.
With 349 pass attempts and 12 starts, Kessler gives the Eagles experience at the position and a chance to develop his talent while the team determines the depth chart behind Wentz.
Kessler and Wentz actually share a connection dating back to 2016. The Browns had the No. 2 pick in that year’s draft, with a chance to land Wentz. They instead traded with the Eagles for a collection of picks and decided to select Kessler as their rookie quarterback that year.