Khalil Tate has found a home. A day after the end of the NFL Draft came to a close, the Arizona quarterback signed a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as he will get an opportunity to continue his football career. Tate was at one point the most electrifying player in the country and looked to be on the fast track to stardom, but injuries and a change in style ahead of his junior season changed the story.
He was never quite able to replicate the performances he put together in the October of 2017 that included setting a new FBS quarterback rushing record in a win over Colorado that made him front-page news.
Injuries and ineffectiveness led to Arizona's coaching staff deciding to use a two-quarterback system for most of the 2019 season. Without a pro day or NFL Combine invite, the road to being drafted was always going to be a challenging one for the UA signal caller.
However, the Eagles trusted what he showed during his college career enough to give him a shot at making its roster that features quarterback Carson Wentz and one-time UA commit Nate Sudfeld in addition to Oklahoma and Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts who was picked 53rd overall in this week's NFL Draft.
Tate will not be working alongside those players, however, as he is expected to be catching passes instead of throwing them as he begins the next phase of his career.
It has often been insinuated that Tate would eventually have to move positions to have a career in the NFL, and when the Eagles announced the addition of the former Arizona quarterback he was announced as a wide receiver.
It has already been hinted that Hurts could be used in a role similar to how the New Orleans Saints use backup quarterback Taysom Hill as a utility player, but the plan is now for Tate to change positions.
Tate has only played quarterback at the high school and college levels.
Tate joins running back JJ Taylor and defensive back Jace Whittaker who both signed similar free agent deals with the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. Arizona did not have any players selected in this week's draft.
Interestingly enough, Tate has been working out with former Eagles star quarterback Donovan McNabb leading up to the draft. The UA quarterback has previously mentioned that McNabb is one of the players he grew up emulating as a young player.