August 12, 2018

Eagles sign QB Christian Hackenberg

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Just when you thought the Eagles' roster couldn't get any better, they went and signed quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Howie Roseman strikes gold again!

I kid, of course. Hackenberg was selected in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, which was considered a severe reach even at the time. He is now the fourth quarterback from the 2016 class to join the team.

2016 Draft	Round	Overall
Carson Wentz	1	2
Christian Hackenberg	2	51
Nate Sudfeld	6	187
Joe Callahan	UDFA	UDFA

In May, the Jets traded Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders for a conditional seventh round pick. The Raiders then cut him less than a month later.

Despite his reasonably high draft status and the fact that the Jets have sorely lacked competence at quarterback, Hackenberg has yet to appear in a regular season game. His professional experience is solely limited to the preseason, where he had one of the worst quarterbacking performances in a game that I've ever seen, noted here:

Christian Hackenberg vs. the Eagles in 2016 preseason game:

11-for-31, 54 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT returned 90 yards for a TD by Ed Reynolds.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) August 12, 2018

Hackenberg fits the physical profile of a quarterbacks the Eagles seem to prefer, at least in terms of height and weight.

Quarterback	Height	Weight
Carson Wentz	6'5	237
Nick Foles	6'6	243
Nate Sudfeld	6'6	227
Christian Hackenberg	6'4	228

His arrival could mean trouble for their current fourth quarterback, Joe Callahan. Hackenberg has almost zero chance of making the 53-man roster, as the team will reportedly try to develop him over time, like they have with Sudfeld.

The #Eagles are signing QB Christian Hackenberg, source said. Not a reflection on health of Wentz/Foles or anything else — just a chance to try developing another QB with talent, as they have with Nate Sudfeld.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 12, 2018