Hoosiers at the Next Level: Nate Sudfeld, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Nate Sudfeld saw his firs extended playing time in the regular season finale Image: NJ.com

Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)

Nate Sudfeld | Philadelphia Eagles | QB

Nate Sudfeld’s NFL season got a lot more interesting within the last few months. The record-holding IU quarterback was released by Washington this summer, but found himself a home in Philadelphia. He was signed to the Eagles practice squad in September, and served as the third-string quarterback behind Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. After Carson Wentz went down with an ACL tear in mid-December, Sudfeld was promoted to backup quarterback. The Eagles still finished the season tied for the best record in the NFL, and will be hosting the NFC Championship game this weekend in Philadelphia. The Eagles have elected to move forward with Nick Foles as their starting quarterback. Barring injury or poor performance, Sudefeld is not likely to see game action this Sunday. However, he will be ready if his number is called.

“I feel very confident,” Sudfeld answered when asked about possibly running the offense. “I wasn’t just sitting back just watching practice all year expecting to never play football. I was definitely getting ready in case something like this happened because that’s my responsibility as a three to be ready to be a two because you’re one play away and then one more play away.” Sudfeld mentions having a former-quarterback in Doug Pederson as his head coach has been beneficial. Coach Pederson echoed the Eagles’ internal praise of Sudfeld: "He had a really good week in practice," said Pederson. "He prides himself in getting his work in and getting his work done. We’re comfortable with him being the backup. But, yeah, last week I thought was probably his best week. Really even prior to that he hasn't gotten a lot of practice reps because Nick was always taking those reps. He stepped in there, did a nice job, continues to grow and continues to work.” Philadelphia’s offense staff had plenty of good things to say about Nate, which backs up the fact that he was made one of the highest paid practice squad players in the NFL.

Sudfeld finally saw playing time during the final regular season game at home against Dallas after Philadelphia benched Nick Foles. Although the Eagles lost the game and did not score, Sudfeld looked poised and confident in the pocket. He threw for 134 yards, completing 19-of-23 attempts. As IU’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, Nate Sudfeld is a record-breaking machine. He broke another one as his accurate day shattered an NFL record for highest completion percentage (82.6%) for a quarterback making his professional debut. Sudfeld also broke off a run for more yards (22) than any scramble he had in college. His performance wasn’t enough to unseat Nick Foles from the starting position, but perhaps it opened some eyes as to what the future holds for Nate Sudfeld’s NFL career.

Many of the things Hoosier football fans remember from Sudfeld’s days in Bloomington are evident in the NFL as he battled through his second year in the league. Pederson added more praise for Sudefeld, "Anticipation, ball location, the accuracy and timing of throws, the way he moves in the pocket, and the subtle movements. Really, he's taken that drill work that Coach DeFilippo has done with him throughout the course of the year, and he used that in practice. So those things have begun to show up in practice last week. It was a positive thing to see." Much like a raw freshman coming into a power five football program, the adjustment from college football to the NFL requires serious commitment and mental focus. With a supportive and experienced coaching staff behind him, Nate remains confident.

Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich spoke very highly of Sudfeld. "I feel very confident and comfortable with Nate," he said. "Having been around the position a long time and getting a sense for how guys see and think and understand the game and how they process it, seeing them work on the field. I just have a high degree of confidence.” Reich’s favorite aspects of Sudfeld’s game are his accuracy, fundamentals, and mechanics. He did a superb job orchestrating the scout team. Reich continued, "Ultimately, he hasn't done it in a game, so that part is still to be determined. But as much confidence as you have in a guy, he mentally gets it. Just the way he talks about the game, it's like, OK, yeah this is it, he gets it, he talks about it like Carson and Nick do. They're all on the same page. It's really comforting. Even though he hasn't done it live and in action in a regular-season game, still a lot of confidence."

When Sudfeld finally did get his chance in a game, he looked razor sharp. Although he may not have turned many heads in a somewhat meaningless regular season game, Sudfeld backed the claims made by his head coach and offensive coordinator. Quarterbacks coach Joe DeFilippio turned Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate; perhaps he can help Sudfeld progress even more in his upcoming third NFL season. "I personally think I'm light years ahead of where I was even this preseason," Sudfeld said. Someday Sudfeld will get his chance, and he will be ready.

Fans of Hoosier Huddle can help support the site by shopping on Amazon using the ad below at no cost to the shopper. Thank you for your support.