With questions for the quarterback, the Eagles bring back a familiar face – NBC Sports Philadelphia

With Jalen Hurts suffering a concussion and Kenny Pickett dealing with a rib injury, the Eagles re-signed quarterback Ian Book on Thursday.

The Eagles signed Book to their practice squad as the backup QB behind Hurts, Pickett and Tanner McKee.

Book, the Saints’ 4th-round pick in 2021, was waived by the Eagles on August 31, 2022 and spent the entire 2022 season on the active roster. He took off his clothes twice but never came to a game.

They released him at the end of 2023 training camp after he was outplayed by McKee.

Book, 26, spent time on the Patriots’ practice squad and was in training camp with the Chiefs last summer.

Book’s only NFL regular season playing time came in 2021 with the Saints. In a season opener against the Dolphins, he went 12 of 20 for 135 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Book went 30-5 in 35 starts at Notre Dame, where he holds the school record for most career wins by a quarterback.

“Obviously a very productive college career,” Nick Sirianni said Thursday. “We had the opportunity to get him after he played a little bit in New Orleans. We really enjoyed our time with him when he was here and we had high hopes for him.

“Obviously we didn’t keep him but that was because other guys stepped up and played well, but yeah, I really liked him. “I like the person and I like the player. He played good football for us in the preseason (in 2023) so he’s familiar with some of the things (that he can do).”

NFL rules allow practice squad quarterbacks to serve as the third quarterback if they are one of the two game-day quarterbacks, but not as the emergency third quarterback.

The Eagles also signed running back Lew Nichols and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields from the practice squad. Nichols was a 7th-round pick of the Packers in 2023, and Castro-Fields was a 6th-round pick of the 49ers in 2022. Neither has ever played a game with the Eagles, although Castro-Fields played this one Year played in two games with the Panthers.

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