The Philadelphia Eagles May Have Already Damaged Their Relationship With Carson Wentz
The Philadelphia Eagles are trekking through another disappointing campaign falling out of the playoff picture. Quarterback Carson Wentz has been at the forefront of those issues behind his inconsistent performance. The problems in Philadelphia concerning Wentz may stem before the 2020 season began.
Carson Wentz, Eagles continue to underperform in the 2020 season
Through the first 12 weeks of this season, the Philadelphia Eagles have continued to head south in a concerning manner.
The bulk of the uneasiness remains with Carson Wentz’s progressive decline from being a top-tier quarterback. Wentz’s production has experienced a steady drop that has quickly shifted the tide to the Eagles toward the belief that the team made a massive mistake of committing to a four-year, $128 million extension.
Wentz hasn’t performed anywhere near an elite quarterback this year as he has completed 58.1% of his passes for 2,541 yards with 16 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions while holding a 73.4 quarterback rating. The 27-year-old has already hit a career-worst mark with interceptions and is on pace for 22.
What also hasn’t helped is that the offensive line providing porous protection as he has been sacked a league-worst 46 times. The Eagles offense has remained in shambles, with their offense woes dampening further any hope of a legitimate playoff push.
Carson Wentz wasn’t happy with the Eagles drafting Jalen Hurts
Before the 2020 season, the Philadelphia Eagles stirred the pot a bit by selecting former Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick in the second round in the 2020 NFL draft.
The move immediately turned heads as the Eagles were less than a year removed from agreeing to the massive extension with Wentz. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the former No.1 overall pick wasn’t too happy about Philadelphia selecting another quarterback.
“All that ground he gained over Nick, everything he fought past to get to this point, you pull it right back,” the source said. “Here is your franchise quarterback, the guy you paid a lot of money to keep long-term, and he’s having to prove himself all over again.”
Wentz is coming off a rough experience with Nick Foles that put his starter status in question. Much of which came about due to his struggles with injuries. The situation allowed Foles the opportunity to guide the franchise to a Super Bowl win. Despite all that, Wentz cleared the hurdle with the Eagles making the significant financial commitment to him.
The presence of another quarterback brings back those long-term questions. These issues have only compounded with Wentz’s porous play that may have opened the door for Hurts to take the starting job.
Philadelphia may begin the shift to Jalen Hurts
Although the Philadelphia Eagles have continued to express confidence in Carson Wentz, his play hasn’t warranted that notion.
The situation has now shifted toward a building outside push to see rookie Jalen Hurts get an opportunity to start. Hurts has completed all three of his pass attempts for 33 yards while rushing for 56 yards on 12 attempts with three fumbles, all recovered by the Eagles.
The 22-year-old is a unique talent that brings a dual-threat ability. He does have much to gain with experience and maturation at the position. The Eagles may hold a 3-7-1 record, but they are only a game behind the New York Giants for the NFC East division lead.
Their remaining schedule isn’t easy by any means, with matchups against the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and the Washington Football Team. If Wentz continues his downward trajectory, it’s hard not to envision Hurts getting his chance to play before his rookie campaign concludes.
