The Philadelphia Eagles might be doing something better than any team in the NFL right now. It’s also one of the most important things any NFL team can do — evaluating quarterback talent.
Not only did the Eagles draft and develop an NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl MVP quarterback out of the second round in Jalen Hurts, they’ve also managed to assemble a string of backups who have become commodities the last few years.
Last season, the Eagles traded for former Pittsburgh Steelers starter and first round pick Kenny Pickett in exchange for a pittance and ended up with one of the league’s more reliable backups on the way to winning a Super Bowl … then flipped Pickett to the Cleveland Browns in another offseason trade.
Last year, backup quarterback Tanner McKee became a hot name in trade rumors, but the Eagles have seemed unwilling to deal at this point.
The Eagles also swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for a former 17-game starter in Sam Howell, who is currently serving as Hurts’ primary backup as McKee deals with a thumb injury.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks Howell could very well end up a starting quarterback and a breakout star in 2026 when he enters free agency.
Mayfield, Darnold, Jones All Reclaimed Careers
In that scenario, Howell would be the next in line to headline what’s been a revelation of quarterbacks becoming stars away from teams that drafted them, started them and once believed they were franchise saviors.
That list includes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2023, current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold with the Vikings in 2024 and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones in 2025.
“Now in his fourth season, Howell is already with his fourth organization,” Sobleski wrote on September 27. “In the same breath, four front offices have seen enough in Howell to warrant the expenditure of draft assets. To be fair, none of those franchises spent more than a mid-round pick. Still, upside remains in a signal-caller once projected as an early-round candidate, and a potential suitor can see the benefit of the quarterback’s journeyman status to start his career.”
Howell’s Wild Path to Eagles
Howell has been on a wild ride since his time at the University of North Carolina, where he was projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft following his sophomore season.
One year later, Howell’s draft stock dropped to the point the Washington Commanders were able to land him in the fifth round (No. 144 overall).
One year after that, Howell suffered through one of the more miserable seasons for an NFL starting quarterback in recent memory, leading the Commanders to a 3-14 record in 17 starts while leading the NFL in sacks taken (65) and interceptions (21).
Howell was traded to the Seahawks in March 2024 — one month before the Commanders took quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft — and he spent last season as Geno Smith’s backup.
The Seahawks traded Smith to the Vikings in April 2025 but he never played a regular season game there. The Eagles traded a 2026 fifth round pick and 2027 seventh round pick to the Vikings in exchange for Howell and a 2027 seventh round pick on August 24.
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