List of Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterbacks
These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). They are listed in order of the date of each player's first start as the quarterback for the Eagles.
The early era of the NFL and American football in general was not conducive to passing the football, with the forward pass not being legalized until the early 1900s and not fully adopted for many more years.[1] Although the quarterback position has historically been the one to receive the snap and thus handle the football on every offensive play,[2] the importance of the position during this era was limited by various rules, like having to be five yards behind the line of scrimmage before a forward pass could be attempted.[3] These rules and the tactical focus on rushing the ball limited the importance of the quarterback position while enhancing the value of different types of backs, such as the halfback and the fullback.[4] Some of these backs were considered triple-threat men, capable of rushing, passing or kicking the football, making it common for multiple players to attempt a pass during a game.[5]
As rules changed and the NFL began adopting a more pass-centric approach to offensive football, the importance of the quarterback position grew.[3][4] Beginning in 1950, total wins and losses by a team's starting quarterback were tracked.[6] Prior to 1950, the Eagles had numerous players identified as playing the quarterback position. However, the combination of unreliable statistics in the early era of the NFL and the differences in the early quarterback position make tracking starts by quarterbacks impractical for this timeframe.
Regular season
[edit]
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The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right:
Notes:
- a Due to the 1982 Players' strike, only nine games were played in the 1982 season.
Most games started
[edit]These quarterbacks have more than 50 starts for the Eagles in regular season games.
| Name | Period | Starts | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan McNabb | 1999–2009 | 142 | 92 | 49 | 1 | .651 |
| Ron Jaworski | 1977–86 | 137 | 69 | 67 | 1 | .507 |
| Randall Cunningham | 1986–95 | 107 | 63 | 43 | 1 | .593 |
| Norm Snead | 1964–70 | 81 | 28 | 50 | 3 | .364 |
| Carson Wentz | 2016–20 | 68 | 35 | 32 | 1 | .522 |
| Jalen Hurts | 2020–24 | 66 | 46 | 20 | 0 | .697 |
Postseason
[edit]| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Norm Van Brocklin (1–0) |
| 1978 | Ron Jaworski (0–1) |
| 1979 | Ron Jaworski (1–1) |
| 1980 | Ron Jaworski (2–1) |
| 1981 | Ron Jaworski (0–1) |
| 1988 | Randall Cunningham (0–1) |
| 1989 | Randall Cunningham (0–1) |
| 1990 | Randall Cunningham (0–1) |
| 1992 | Randall Cunningham (1–1) |
| 1995 | Rodney Peete (1–1) |
| 1996 | Ty Detmer (0–1) |
| 2000 | Donovan McNabb (1–1) |
| 2001 | Donovan McNabb (2–1) |
| 2002 | Donovan McNabb (1–1) |
| 2003 | Donovan McNabb (1–1) |
| 2004 | Donovan McNabb (2–1) |
| 2006 | Jeff Garcia (1–1) |
| 2008 | Donovan McNabb (2–1) |
| 2009 | Donovan McNabb (0–1) |
| 2010 | Michael Vick (0–1) |
| 2013 | Nick Foles (0–1) |
| 2017 | Nick Foles (3–0) |
| 2018 | Nick Foles (1–1) |
| 2019 | Carson Wentz (0–1) |
| 2021 | Jalen Hurts (0–1) |
| 2022 | Jalen Hurts (2–1) |
| 2023 | Jalen Hurts (0–1) |
| 2024 | Jalen Hurts (4–0) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Passing Through Time, a 1930s Rule Change Started the NFL on its Way to Wide Open Offense". ProFootballHoF.com. July 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Rumpff, Tim (director) (July 12, 2023). Quarterback (Television show). Netflix. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "Bent but not Broken". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Hogg, Curt (December 24, 2009). "5 Wide: The Evolution Of The Quarterback". BleacherReport.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Paul Hornung". Packers.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Green Bay Packers Career Passing Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.