The Philadelphia Eagles invested $60 million of guaranteed money in the quarterback position this offseason. A touch over $26 million went to No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz. Before he was drafted, the Eagles gave Sam Bradford $22 million in guarantees. And Chase Daniel received $12 million to serve as the backup while teaching the rest of the quarterbacks Doug Pederson's offense.
Daniel has three-plus years in the system under his belt but has had his share of struggles in it this preseason. That continued on Thursday, as Daniel finished 14-of-22 for 131 yards with two interceptions in the Eagles' 14-6 win over the New York Jets. He went 37-of-60 for 332 yards (5.5 per attempt) overall this preseason with a touchdown and the two picks.
The 29-year-old had a good drive going on the Eagles' second possession on Thursday before throwing one right into the teeth of the Jets' defense that was tipped before being intercepted by Juston Burris. He threw another one to Taiwan Jones early in the second quarter with pressure coming at him.
The plan heading into the season is to develop Wentz behind the scenes while rolling with Bradford as the starter for the time being. The presence of Daniel helps the Eagles stay true to that plan, even in the event of a Bradford injury.
The play of Daniel will get talk-show lines humming with debates about whether the No. 2 job should go to Wentz, especially considering only one of the reserve quarterbacks is likely to be active on game days. The Eagles probably wouldn't let preseason play sway their decision-making when it comes to how they'll bring the rookie along, but they surely would have preferred a better showing out of their well-compensated backup.
Who got hurt?: Tight end MJ McFarland exited with a knee injury.
Turner does it again: Undrafted rookie Paul Turner is not guaranteed to make the team, but he continues to make a strong case for himself. The Louisiana Tech product entered the game as the team's leading receiver and added six catches for 66 yards on Thursday. He also returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown, as he found a seam and darted up the middle for one of the highlights of the night.
The Eagles will explore trades and the waiver wire to upgrade at receiver; it's possible that Turner ends up on the wrong end of that. But he has earned a practice squad spot at the very least, and maybe he will find his way onto a 53-man roster, whether that's in Philadelphia or elsewhere.
Defensive end battle: Steven Means continues to make a push for a roster spot. He was credited with a sack, two quarterback hits, a tackle for a loss and a pass defensed, and he forced an intentional grounding penalty in the first half. Marcus Smith II had two tackles for a loss, including one in the first half, when he put an inside move on tackle Brandon Shell and dropped Khiry Robinson for a loss of five. Could be that both players end up making the team.
Tavarres stands: All players on the Eagles and Jets stood for the national anthem pregame. Rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres told ESPN.com earlier this week that he planned on joining Colin Kaepernick's protest by sitting during the anthem, but he changed his mind after being advised by his agent. He also spoke with Malcolm Jenkins multiple times after word of his plan was out. Tavarres and Jenkins stood side-by-side while the anthem played Thursday.