The Philadelphia Eagles were confident that they had the most valuable backup quarterback in the NFL with Nick Foles. Unfortunately, he has not looked the part of a former Super Bowl MVP thus far in the preseason.
His performance on Thursday against the Cleveland Browns was further evidence of his struggles. FOX's Erin Andrews relayed quotes at the start of the third quarter from Eagles head coach Doug Pederson that seemed to express his disappointment in the quarterback, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
“It’s very disappointing. He was calm before the game, I thought he’d settled in.”
Pederson later pushed back on the notion that he was singling out Foles, instead focusing his ire on the entire first-team offense.
“Not Nick,” Pederson said in response to a question about the report delivered by Erin Andrews of FOX. “Offensively. We had six possessions. We had two interceptions, two fumbles. We had a sack safety, and we had a turnover on downs. That’s an offensive performance, so I was displeased with what our first offense executed. . . . I’m disappointed in the offense. I don’t want to single out one player, so don’t put this all on Nick. I’m disappointed in the offense. It’s obviously not what you want in the third preseason week.”
Whatever the case, there is good reason for Pederson to be frustrated. The Eagles were hoping that Foles would help stabilize the offense under center with quarterback Carson Wentz still working his way back from injury. However, it appears he is suffering from a bit of a championship hangover.
Foles missed the preseason opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers before making his underwhelming debut against the New England Patriots last week. He completed just 3 of 9 passes and a lost fumble before exiting the game with a strained shoulder. He may have been still feeling the effects against the Browns after completing 13 of 17 passes for 127 yards and two interceptions.
It is difficult to gauge the exact reason for Foles' woeful performance thus far. However, it is clear that Pederson's patience has begun to wear thin with the regular season just around the corner. That said, he will need to find his footing soon if Philadelphia is going to rely on him in Wentz's potential absence.
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