Young, the third pick in the 2006 draft, was officially released by the Titans on Thursday and became an unrestricted free agent earlier Friday. The Titans announced in January that they planned to cut ties with Young.
The Eagles traded Kevin Kolb to the Cards earlier Thursday, opening up a spot for an experienced backup quarterback.
Young will back up Michael Vick, with second-year pro Mike Kafka remaining the third-stringer.
Young, 28, had a 30-17 record in 47 starts with the Titans. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2006, when he went 8-5, and again in 2009, when he was 8-2.
Despite his lofty won-loss record, Young’s career numbers are mediocre – 42 touchdowns, 42 interceptions and a 75.5 passer rating, which is fourth-worst of the 30 NFL quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 1,000 passes since 2006 (ahead of only Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kerry Collins and Derek Anderson). His 57.9 completion percentage during the same period is also fourth-worst (ahead of Alex Smith, Collins and Anderson).
Statistically, Young’s best passing year was last year, when he threw 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions and had a 98.6 passer rating – fifth-best in the NFL among quarterbacks who threw at least 150 passes.
Young enjoyed some great success during his years in Nashville, but also had some very tough times.
He said he considered retiring after his rookie year. He got hurt his second year. He was benched for Kerry Collins his third year. And then after a game against the Redskins last year, he threw his shoulder pads into the crowd after getting booed and got into a shouting match with head coach Jeff Fisher, an incident that led the Titans to announce that they would cut ties with him after the season.
Earlier Friday, when word filtered through the team that a Young acquisition was likely, Vick spoke out strongly in favor of the move.
“You’ve got to go out and get the best player, no matter what anybody is saying about them,” Vick said. “You’ve got to give yourself the best chance of winning. So go out and get the best players and give them a chance to compete each and every Sunday.”
Vick said head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who helped him become a much more effective quarterback than he was in Atlanta, could have the same influence on Young.
“It’s going to be a positive effect,” Vick said. “I think Vince will mature as a player, and I think he’ll get better. (Being in Philadelphia) will help him long-term. So get him in here and make him a better player, and if we ever need him, he’s there for us. If you have a roster full of good quarterbacks, then you have a great chance of winning.”
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