Minshew lands with Eagles for 2022 pick
Minshew Mania is on the move. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to Philadelphia on Saturday for a conditional draft pick in 2022. The Jaguars received a sixthround pick that would become a fifth-rounder if Minshew plays 50% of snaps in three games.
Minshew joins a QB room that already has starter Jalen Hurts and veteran backup Joe Flacco. The Eagles cut third-string quarterback Nick Mullens to make room for Minshew.
Former Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell, who drafted Minshew in the sixth round in 2019, now serves as a personnel executive in Philadelphia.
The Jaguars first put Minshew on the trading block around the draft, but then coach Urban Meyer had him splitting repetitions with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence when training camp opened. Lawrence was named the team’s starter Wednesday, and Meyer said Minshew would compete for the backup role with C.J. Beathard.
Minshew was a two-year starter in Jacksonville, going 7-13 in 20 starts. He has completed 63% of his passes for 5,530 yards, 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He started 12 games in 2019, putting up better overall numbers than fellow rookies Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones and creating a “Minshew Mania” buzz around the city and parts of the country. He was good enough that then-Jaguars coach Doug Marrone and Caldwell gave him a chance to prove he could end Jacksonville’s decades-long search for a franchise quarterback.
Minshew started the first seven games in 2020, throwing 13 touchdown passes and five interceptions, but he also took 22 sacks.
Marrone turned to rookie Jake Luton at the bye week, partly because of Minshew’s struggles to get the ball down the field and partly because of a sprained thumb on his throwing hand. Luton made three starts before ending up back on the bench after a four-turnover performance against Pittsburgh. Mike Glennon replaced him and started three games, a run that ended following his fourth turnover in six quarters.
Minshew regained the starting spot briefly, but he was sacked five times at Baltimore and missed several open receivers deep. He also took a safety, lost a fumble and had an interception that was returned for a touchdown negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty.
The bottom line: Minshew has shown more flaws than flashes since early in his rookie year. He’s a 6-foot-1 quarterback with an average arm and average mobility. And no one really expected to get the nod over Lawrence, widely considered the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck.
ALLEN LEADS BILLS
Josh Allen needed just three possessions to throw two touchdown passes in his preseason debut and show he and the Buffalo Bills high-powered offense are ready for the regular season.
Allen completed his first nine attempts and finished 20 of 26 for 194 yards in leading the Bills to a 19-0 win over the Green Bay Packers in both teams’ preseason finales on Saturday.
The Packers, by comparison, can look forward to Aaron Rodgers providing stability to a mistake-filled offense which lacked finish behind a cast of backups, led by Jordan Love.
Allen capped Buffalo’s opening drive with a perfect throw in hitting Gabriel Davis in stride — a step ahead of cornerback Isaac Yiadom — on a post route for a 31-yard touchdown on third-and-20. Allen then squeezed a tight 3-yard pass over the middle to Zack Moss to put the Bills up 13-0 on his third and final possession.
Allen spread the ball in completing passes to eight receivers, while playing without his favorite target, Stefon Diggs, who sat out because of a lingering knee injury.
The fourth-year starter showed off his familiar dual-threat ability by making his best throw three plays before Moss’ touchdown. Scrambling to his left, Allen threw a pass across his body to a wide-open Cole Beasley for a 21-yard gain.
Allen got an opportunity to tune up for the regular season after sitting out Buffalo’s first two preseason games.