Sudfeld comfy in Philadelphia
Former Redskins QB sees similarities between the rivals heading into Monday Night Football
“It’s not necessarily the money as much as what the money says. And I feel very wanted here. I feel very valued. I get a lot of great work. I’m getting a lot stronger in the weight room. I’m learning from a lot of film. They ask me for my input in the film room. I feel a part of it.” – Eagles’ Nate Sudfeld
Nate Sudfeld’s first NFL job didn’t end the way he hoped it would, which isn’t surprising considering how the Washington Redskins manage their quarterback position.
The heir apparent to Kirk Cousins was kicked to the curb along with the rest of the Redskins final cuts in September.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to sign Sudfeld to a practice squad contract with a base salary of $540,000, which is greater than all of their rookie draft picks, including first-round pick Derek Barnett. What’s that they say about one man’s trash?
“It’s not necessarily the money as much as what the money says,” said Sudfeld, a 2016 sixth-round pick out of Indiana. “And I feel very wanted here. I feel very valued. I get a lot of great work. I’m getting a lot stronger in the weight room. I’m learning from a lot of film. They ask me for my input in the film room. I feel a part of it. It’s been very fun and ob-
viously it’s a great quarterback room to work in.”
The quarterback room with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles is full of height as Sudfeld is 6-6, the others 6-5. Additionally, Sudfeld and Foles are baby faced lookalikes. There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for each other, including autographs.
“It’s been dying down but fans for sure think that I’m Nick because obviously we kind of have a similar build, similar hair color and stuff,” Sudfeld said. “We were playing the Chiefs, I think, and every week it would be ‘Nick, Nick, come on, sign this, sign this.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not Nick.’
And they didn’t believe me. So I went and signed a few things for Nick because I didn’t want them to think he was a bad guy and just ignoring them. I felt kind of bad about it.”
Sudfeld would have done the same for the guys in the Redskins’ quarterback room. He’s best buds with Cousins, who he admired and studied during his Big 10 career. Sudfeld watched video of Cousins at the Big 10 Kickoff Luncheon to help shape his own speech there a few years later.
“Kirk was one of my best friends and we’ll be friends forever,” Sudfeld said. “And Colt McCoy, also. Really both of those guys. And Jordan Reed, Jamison Crowder, I’m really close with those guys. Josh Doctson, I roomed with him the first two years. He’s doing really
well. He’s starting to get some confidence, starting to get some tape out there. He’s going to have a really good career. And I mean, I could name drop everybody down the line. I was really close with a lot of guys. So that’s the tough part. But that’s the business.
“We’ll still be friends but not this week.”
This week the Eagles (51) oppose the Redskins (32) in a game that even at this early stage of the season, could all but clinch the NFC East pennant for the Birds.
The Eagles are 2-0 in the division with a win over the Redskins, who are 0-1 in the loop. With the Dallas Cowboys (23, 1-0) and New York Giants (1-5, 0-2) fading fast, the Redskins are the only serious threat to the Eagles, who have won four
straight games.
The Eagles defeated the Redskins, 30-17, in the season opener.
Nobody on the Eagles knows more about the Redskins than Sudfeld, who thinks his familiarity with his former team is overrated.
Sudfeld thinks the Eagles and Redskins mirror each other and that will be reflected this weekend.
“There’s a lot of similarities,” Sudfeld said. “You try and establish a run game, good play actions and some drop back passing. You try to establish quick tempo and movements and be balanced. In that sense it’s been part of a seamless transition. Early on we were kind of trying to figure out what we were really good at. And I feel like we really discovered it and really got balanced and done
some good things. The line is blocking really well. Our running backs are running hard. And Carson is making great decisions. We’re putting some good stuff on tape.”
Sudfeld, 24, always will feel a little uneasy around Redskins management. They told him he was expendable because they needed to keep more help on defense. Implied but not stated was that he’s no Cousins. Not that they know how good Cousins is, either.
The Redskins offered Kirk Cousins a long-term contract that wasn’t worth much more in real value to him than the $23.9 million franchise tender.
With Cousins’ availability uncertain beyond this year, the Redskins having to tender him a guaranteed $29 million to secure his services in 2018, they would be left with journeyman McCoy and Pete Robertson, the undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech currently on the practice squad, at quarterback.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have insurance if Foles’ throwing shoulder acts up again. Foles essentially signed a two-year, $11 million contract with $7 million guaranteed according to Spotrac.com.
Sudfeld isn’t going anywhere although technically, as a member of the practice squad, he could leave if offered a contract by another club.
“I’m very happy to be here right now,” Sudfeld said. “The longer I’ve been here the more comfortable I’m getting. I’m excited to be here, I’m excited about this game and I’m looking forward to us playing our best.”