By Spike Eskin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Trent Edwards always seemed like a long shot to make the Philadelphia Eagles. Even up until Thursday night’s preseason finale, the vibe was that Edwards was auditioning for a job with another team. In the end, Edwards’ play was so impressive, it was impossible for the Eagles to let him go.

Edwards will be the team’s third string quarterback, backing up Michael Vick and rookie Nick Foles. Mike Kafka will be released.

Andy Reid said via the Eagles Twitter account, “There was great competition at the QB position. That’s what football and training camp is all about. In the end, we had to make the difficult decision to let Mike Kafka go. Mike is a class act, a student of the game and a great person, and I think he’ll have no problem finding a job in the National Football League very soon. On the other hand, I’m proud of the way Trent Edwards conducted himself since the early days of the offseason workouts. He had to fight for everything he earned this summer. He improved each and every day and made the most of every opportunity”

In four preseason games, Edwards threw four touchdowns, without an interception, and had a QB rating of 100.5. Kafka threw only nine passes, and was out of action due to a broken left hand.

Edwards has played in four NFL seasons, starting 32 games for the Buffalo Bills, and one for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s got a career QB rating of 75.4.