Update: The Jaguars signed E.J. Perry to their practice squad Tuesday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in sudden need of a quarterback.
For most of the year, the team has carried two quarterbacks on the active roster, Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard, as well as former CFL star Nathan Rourke on the practice squad.
Now the team temporarily has only one passer after Lawrence landed in the concussion protocol and Rourke was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots.
Rourke, 25, was signed to the active roster in October when Lawrence was questionable for a Week 7 game due to a knee injury. The Jaguars then waived Rourke and added him back to the practice squad after the game.
Jacksonville tried to do the same when an ankle sprain had Lawrence questionable for a Week 14 game. But the Patriots scooped up Rourke before he could get back to the Jaguars’ practice squad.
If Lawrence can’t play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there’s no doubt that Beathard will be the team’s starter. But there’s also no question that the Jaguars need to add another player at the position.
Here are seven quarterbacks on the market who could be considered by the Jaguars:
Nick Foles
Signing Foles in 2019 was one of the worst financial disasters in Jaguars history so a reunion feels pretty wacky. But he’s also the same quarterback who won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia with Doug Pederson as his head coach.
Foles, 34, hasn’t been on a roster since getting released by the Colts in May, but hasn’t said he’s retired either.
E.J. Perry
It’s a name that won’t get many people excited, but Perry might be the most realistic candidate. The Jaguars signed the former Ivy League quarterback as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and carried him on the practice squad throughout last season.
Since getting cut by the Jaguars in March, Perry’s had two stints with the Texans and one with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers. He just worked out for the Patriots last week, but didn’t land a contract and remains a free agent.
Colt McCoy
McCoy, 37, has been on five different rosters since he was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. It seemed he was in line to be the Cardinals’ starter while Kyler Murray was still recovering from a knee injury. Then he was surprisingly cut in August and newcomer Joshua Dobbs was handed the reins instead.
If there’s any gas left in the tank, McCoy’s an established veteran backup who could presumably pick things up quickly.
Jake Luton
Here’s yet another former Jaguars quarterback who’s on the market. The 2020 sixth-round pick started three games during his rookie season in Jacksonville with mostly disastrous results. The Jaguars released him before the 2021 season.
After the arrival of Pederson, Luton made a brief return to Jacksonville. He signed with the team in February 2022 and spent the majority of the offseason with the Jaguars before getting waived in August.
Bryce Perkins
After spending most of his first two seasons on the Rams’ practice squad, Perkins was thrust into action in 2022 when both Matthew Stafford and John Wolford were injured.
The former Virginia star’s lone NFL start was a pretty brutal one. Perkins managed only 100 passing yards on 23 attempts in a loss to the Chiefs. Still, beggars can’t really be choosers at this point of the year.
Ian Book
The former Notre Dame quarterback was a Saints fourth-round pick in 2021 and started one game for the team. Book, 25, later spent a year with the Eagles and most recently spent five days with the Patriots earlier this season.
Reid Sinnett
Sinnett, 26, has been on four different NFL rosters since entering the NFL in 2020. His most recent stop was Cincinnati where he spent training camp and part of the regular season with the Bengals. He even spent a week on the active roster before getting waived in October.
