Eagles' Shedeur Sanders decision involved a 'guaranteed distraction'

The Philadelphia Eagles chose a quarterback on the third day of the NFL Draft in April.

It just wasn't Shedeur Sanders.

They went instead for Kyle McCord out of Syracuse (and Ohio State) in the sixth round.

This week, Fansided's Christopher Kline praised the Eagles for not taking Sanders, calling him a "guaranteed distraction."

"The Browns traded up to select Sanders in the fifth round, reportedly because the reigning champs were prepared to pick Sanders as Jalen Hurts' backup," Kline wrote. "Howie Roseman is the master of finding value in the NFL Draft. Sanders in the fifth round was a great value on the surface, regardless of need. With Kenny Pickett in Cleveland, ironically, the Philadelphia Eagles' backup QB situation isn't really settled. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is fun on paper, but he has yet to translate his electric athleticism into effective quarterback play in the NFL. That said, the Eagles just won the Super Bowl. That locker room has struck a careful balance between established vets and elite up-and-coming talent. Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, has earned his stripes. He is locked up on a long-term contract and there's no reason to believe he will decline in the near future. Drafting a guaranteed distraction like Sanders would yield... diminishing returns. Even if it's good value in a vacuum, he won't make life easier on Hurts."

 

It's true that the Eagles have a bit of an unproven backup situation behind Hurts.

But it's also true that Sanders attracts a lot of attention. That's been true in Cleveland for sure, and it probably would've been even more true if he joined the defending Super Bowl champs in a bigger market.

The Eagles will certainly be hoping Hurts stays healthy so backup QBs don't become relevant anyway.

There's a point of view that definitely would've found it fun for Sanders to back up Hurts and learn from a great QB. But Eagles fans who would prefer to keep a Super Bowl title defense simple are probably quite glad there isn't the Sanders noise following them around.