The Philadelphia Eagles might lose Sam Bradford to free agency, but they appear to have a long-term answer! OK, maybe not. The team is signing quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan. He joins Mark Sanchez and Thaddeus Lewis on the quarterback depth chart. The team still owns the rights to Sam Bradford, but barring a deal or the franchise tag, he will become an unrestricted free agent on March 9.
I bring this up because McBLT actually ended the most recent season on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. McBLT opened 2015 training camp on the Miami Dolphins roster, and spent a few days on their practice squad before being released. He spent the next two months working as offensive coordinator for his old San Francisco high school, Balboa High School.
On November 21, the 49ers placed Colin Kaepernick on injured reserve and promoted Dylan Thompson from the practice squad. Three days later, they brought in McBLT. It marked his third tour of duty in Santa Clara. After graduating in 2010, he spent a season with the San Jose Sabercats. He then signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011, before being released.
He bounced around the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings before being claimed off waivers by the 49ers in 2013. He was later released and signed to the team's practice squad. At the end of the 2013 season, he signed a reserve/future contract before being released during 2014 training camp. He spent parts of 2014 with the Patriots, Vikings and Dolphins.
I bring all this up because this tweet got me thinking about McBLT's career:
This remains the most stunningly inexplicable career in football history. https://t.co/13XIHnLiwq
— Ryan Burns (@FtblSickness) February 18, 2016
McBLT started his college career at UCLA, red-shirting in 2006, and then playing five games in 2007. He transferred to Sacramento State, and appeared in 25 games. However, he only started five of them. So, he took a step down and still only started five games between 2008 and 2010.
The closest comparison I can think of might be Matt Cassel. He didn't start a single game in four years at USC, but still ended up getting an NFL shot, and starting for a stretch. Would that make McBLT a very poor man's Matt Cassel?