Get Ready for Wentz on a Bench
The Eagles are bad at football. They have fallen so far since their Super Bowl victory only just a couple seasons ago. After his performance this past week, Carson Wentz is no longer the Eagles starting quarterback.
Eagles’ HC Doug Pederson is naming Jalen Hurts his new starting quarterback and the rookie will start Sunday vs. the New Orleans Saints, sources tell @mortreport and me. Carson Wentz now will backup Hurts.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 8, 2020
Doug Pederson has named Jalen Hurts the Eagles new starting quarterback. It should be a very interesting quarterback matchup between Hurts and Taysom Hill. Wentz joins Jameis Winston (and sometimes Mitch Trubisky) as backup quarterbacks who were drafted in the top 2.
What went wrong with Carson Wentz?
Injury
First, it is hard to ignore Wentz’s knee injury back in 2017. He was playing at an MVP level before he tore his ACL. Ironically, that was the year Nick Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl. Ever since that injury, Wentz has not been the same quarterback. Before he got hurt in 2017, he had thrown for 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. He had led the Eagles to an 11-2 record before being sidelined for the remainder of the season. Ever since this injury, he simply has not been the same quarterback.
Interceptions and accuracy
Other than his rookie season, Wentz has never thrown more than 7 interceptions in a season, until this season. In only 12 games, Wentz has thrown 15 interceptions, which is by far the most in the NFL. He has thrown some pretty bad interceptions this season, including this thing of a beauty…
As you can see from the video, there is just no one near where he is throwing the football. The most likely explanation is that either he or the intended receiver was wrong on the route the receiver was supposed to run but this is still bad.
On top of the interceptions, Wentz has been missing his receivers like crazy. Even the easiest of passes, Wentz cannot seem to hit his target. I divert your attention to exhibit A (see video below).
I do not know if Wentz has the yips or is simply that bad, but you should be able to hit your running back in the flat if you’re an NFL QB.
Wentz still gets paid
The Eagles better hope Wentz figures it out because the former #2 overall pick is still waiting for his 4-year, $128 million extension to kick in. He is still playing on his rookie contract right now and that massive payday is set to kick in after this season. There is $70 million guaranteed. That is A LOT of money to be paying a backup quarterback. They won’t even be able to cut him for another couple seasons because the dead cap hit is astronomical the first few years of that new deal.
Final Thoughts
If Daniel Jones does not play this week, every team in the NFC East will be starting a different QB than they did in week 1. For the Giants and Cowboys it is because of injury, but for the Eagles and Football Team, it is performance. Quarterback is probably the most important position in all of sports. You cannot mess it up and invest in the wrong guy. At least the Football Team is moving away from Dwayne Haskins before he has a chance to earn a massive contract, *cough* Carson Wentz *cough*. You have heard of elf on a shelf, but now get ready for Wentz on a bench.
-Pete Chatterton (@Pchat12)