NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, March 27, 2014, 2:12 PM
Updated: Thursday, March 27, 2014, 2:27 PM
PHILADELPHIA — Mark Sanchez will begin the next chapter of his career in the City of Brotherly Love.
Less than a week after the Jets released their former Golden Boy quarterback, the Eagles are closing in on a deal with Sanchez. Although Rex Ryan said earlier this week that he “absolutely” believes Sanchez will be a starter in the league again, the sixth-year quarterback will serve as Nick Foles’ backup in Chip Kelly’s high-powered offense entering this season.
“It’s a position of need for us,” Kelly said at the league meetings this week. “We played three quarterbacks last year. I don’t think you can look at your roster and ever say, ‘We’re good at quarterback.’”
Sanchez flew from Southern California to Philadelphia Wednesday night before getting a thorough medical evaluation on his surgically repaired shoulder and knee by team doctors on Thursday. He is expected to finalize a deal Thursday after the physical is completed, according to a source.
Ryan once said that Sanchez, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, would be his quarterback for as long as he was the Jets’ head coach. But it wasn’t meant to be.
The 27-year-old Sanchez, who missed the entire 2013 season after suffering a shoulder injury in garbage time of the Jets’ third preseason game, went 37-31 in games he started in his first four seasons. However, his penchant for turnovers — he had 26 in back-to-back seasons (2011 and 2012) — has been his Achilles heel.
“I think the best judge of quarterbacks is probably their record,” Ryan said at the league meetings this week. “His win-loss record is not by fluke. The guy has talent. The big thing about Mark (is) when he learns how to protect the football better, that’s probably the thing that’s missing more than anything else.”
The Jets and Eagles effectively swapped quarterbacks in the past week. Michael Vick, who entered last season as Kelly’s starter before giving way to Foles, signed a one-year deal with the Jets. Vick is expected to compete with incumbent Geno Smith in what Ryan called a “fair” quarterback competition this summer.
Sanchez, who won four road playoff games in his first two seasons, should provide the Eagles with an experienced backup in case Foles falters badly or gets hurt.
“Mark is a very, very good athlete,” Kelly said. “He’s got great experience. There’s a lot of positive qualities to him.”
Fellow former USC quarterback Matt Barkley, a 2013 fourth-round pick, is expected to be the No. 3 quarterback on the Eagles’ roster.
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