The Philadelphia Eagles may or may not have room for Nick Foles next season. The Eagles certainly made it look like Foles was an odd man out when they kept Michael Vick and signed Dennis Dixon. Therefore, it was logical to assume Foles could be trade bait down the line, even to Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs -- yet the Chiefs ruled that out on Feb. 27.
The Chiefs finally found a No. 1 quarterback by landing Alex Smith in a tentative trade with the San Francisco 49ers, according to the Associated Press. Although Smith lost his starting job last season due to injury and the rise of Colin Kaepernick, he is much more reliable than Foles or any of Kansas City’s current quarterbacks.
In fact, one could make a case that the Eagles should have tried to get Smith themselves. Smith had taken the 49ers to the NFC title game in 2011 and set the tone for them to reach the Super Bowl in 2012. If he had joined the Eagles, he would have given them a much more reliable recent winner than Vick has been lately.
Perhaps Smith could have fit in with Chip Kelly, as he was already revived by another former Pac-12 coach in Jim Harbaugh. However, the Eagles had to make a decision on Vick last month and ultimately moved to keep him. If Philadelphia cut him and then failed to make a trade for Smith, it really would have been in dire straits with only Foles left.
But now that the speculation over a Foles reunion with Reid is finished, the Eagles will seemingly have to carry out plans for a three-man quarterback competition. Although there are other teams that need quarterbacks, Foles may not be accomplished enough to be their ideal starter. In addition, the Eagles would likely demand a high price for him in a trade, even if he isn’t worth that much.
Foles is a long shot to be a starter in Philadelphia, but he also seems to be a long shot everywhere else. Yet the Eagles do need him as a second option, like he was last year, if Vick and Dixon can’t stay upright.
But if they don’t need him, maybe he could be a backup elsewhere -- perhaps even for Reid and the Chiefs someday if they need insurance for Smith.
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