Eagles’ Pederson: ‘I think Carson Wentz can be an exceptional quarterback in this league, and he’s proven that’
Goforitradio Staff
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On Tuesday, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson made it official and named rookie QB Jalen Hurts the team’s starting quarterback for their home game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The second-round pick replaced an ineffective Wentz against the Packers last Sunday.
It’s been a very disappointing 2020 season for Wentz, as he leads the league in interceptions(15). But just last season, the fifth-year quarterback was playing at an elite level when he led the Eagles, who had numerous injuries on the offensive side of the ball, to the playoffs. In 2017, before he went down with a torn ACL, Wentz played at an MVP level and threw 33 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in 13 games. Ultimately. the Eagles would get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, which helped Nick Foles and Philadelphia get to and win the Super Bowl.
According to Pederson, Wentz has been and still can be an elite quarterback in the NFL.
“I think Carson Wentz can be an exceptional quarterback in this league, and he’s proven that, right? Back in ’17, ’18 and last year,” Pederson said on Wednesday. “We got to continue to battle and fight and work and work with him individually, work with him within the confines of the offense, the structure, and just get [him] back to being Carson Wentz and back on track. So, that’s my focus with him, to just get him back to the level of play that we all know that he has shown us and that he is capable of doing.”
If we look a the numbers, you could argue that Pederson is right. Outside of his rookie season, when Wentz threw 14 interceptions, Wentz has thrown no more than seven interceptions in a season, so in reality, what happened to Wentz in 2020, seems to go contrary to who and what he has been as a quarterback in the NFL.
However, Pederson and the Eagles had to make the switch. The 27-year-old Wentz was not playing well, and it did not appear he would get right anytime soon. It should be interesting to see what happens moving forward if Hurts plays well in the next four games, especially when you consider Wentz signed a four-year, $128 million deal with the team in 2019. Based on how his contract is structured and barring a trade, Philadelphia could be stuck with Wentz until after the 2021 season, when they will be able to get out of the deal without a significant cap hit.
We’ll see how this situation plays out. However, it’s time for the Eagles to see if they can succeed with Hurts in 2020.
