The Eagles plan to work out Tyree Jackson, a former college quarterback who’s trying to make it in the NFL as a tight end.
Field Yates of ESPN tweeted that Jackson, who threw 28 touchdowns in his final year at Buffalo, has a workout scheduled with the Eagles.
The Eagles already have one converted quarterback on the roster. Leading receiver Greg Ward was a quarterback at Houston.
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Jackson, who is 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, was the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year two years ago, when he led Buffalo to a 10-4 record and a berth against Troy State in the Dollar General Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
In his career at Buffalo, Jackson threw 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions and passed for 6,999 yards.
Jackson was in training camp last summer with the Bills as a quarterback and completed 30 of 57 passes for 315 yards with one TD pass and one INT in four preseason games.
He was waived as part of final cuts and wound up playing in the XFL for the DC Defenders, backing up Cardale Jones before the league folded in April.
NFL
According to Yates, Jackson has also worked out as a tight end for the Seahawks.
The Eagles have three tight ends — Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz and Richard Rodgers — on the active roster. Rodgers’ contract is up after this year and Goedert and Ertz after next year. Three others — Hakeem Butler, Jason Coom and Caleb Wilson — are on the practice squad.
Several college quarterbacks have become successful NFL tight ends, including Trey Burton, who began his career at Florida as a quarterback — a skill the Eagles took advantage of when he threw the Philly Special touchdown to Nick Foles in the Super Bowl.
Jay Riemersma and Mike Tice were full-time college quarterbacks, Riemersma at Michigan and Tice at Maryland, before long NFL careers as tight ends.
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