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The Philadelphia Eagles have found themselves in quite the conundrum and the only way out is a complete rebuild and possible shift in culture.
The Eagles sit at 3-6-1 on the season and even the potential excitement of another playoff birth can’t mask the stink coming from this organization. The Eagles have some decisions to make concerning personnel all across the board, with the coaching staff and entire roster up for serious evaluation.
Coaches have tough seasons, and Pederson’s Super Bowl in 2017 and three straight playoff appearances should provide some job security. The prospects of Pederson continuing to be the Eagles sole play-caller could come down to the preference of owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman.
The one man who’ll likely be around is Carson Wentz and this 2020 season is the perfect recipe for a quarterback learning on the job.
Wentz has been brutal from a statistical standpoint this season and the blame or lack of personnel has played a major part in the stats below.
MOST Turnovers (18)
INTs (14)
Sacks (40)
Fumbles (10)
Hit QB (50)
Fumbles-Lost (4)
2nd WORST Comp % (58.4)
3rd WORST Rate (73.3)
Removing the problem, attempting to trade him away, or sitting him for a player that’s not prepared won’t solve his issues, but working through them can.
Immediately after the Eagles 22-17 loss to the Browns, head coach Doug Pederson said that he is sticking with Wentz as his starting quarterback and had this to say about why hasn’t considered pulling the plug.
“When times get tough, sometimes that might be the easy thing to do,” Pederson said of pulling the quarterback. “This sport is bigger than one guy. We all have a hand in it and we all have to fix it.”
Wentz’s struggles this season are historic and amid calls for him to be benched, it’s also the perfect opportunity for the Eagles star to continue learning on the job.
Ben Roethlisberger and other recent NFL quarterbacks are the perfect litmus test for why Wentz needs to play through the good and the bad. The Steelers star had a five-year period where his play was up and down, including the 2006 and 2008 seasons that saw him toss 23 and 15 interceptions while dealing with his own adversity.
Phillip Rivers had seasons where he regressed, Russell Wilson took a step back in year-five.
Tom Brady completed 60.8% of his passes and threw 14 interceptions in 2004, year-five for the GOAT as well. Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, and Matt Ryan also had seasons of alleged regression during years where the expectation was high.
An even bigger reason for letting Wentz play through the struggles is the millions in guaranteed salary that the Eagles have invested in their quarterback.
Wentz signed a four-year, $128 million contract extension last summer that pays an average salary of $32 million a year and most importantly, carries a dead-cap hit of $59 million in 2021. That dead-cap hit falls to $39.5 million in the 2022 offseason, but there are bonuses and other things that ensure Wentz will be the quarterback for at least the next two seasons.
The $32M per year QB with his 2021 salary fully guaranteed & $15M of 2022 fully guaranteed in March 2021 isn't going to the bench. https://t.co/2greqZBCXg
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) November 23, 2020
Pulling Wentz to “light a fire” isn’t the option and with a roster depleted of starters and available weapons at every position on offense, it won’t make evaluating Jalen Hurt’s potential fair or worthwhile with six games remaining.
NBA stars are allowed to shoot their way out of slumps, MLB stars swing, or continue to take the plate when they struggle, and now the Eagles have to allow Carson Wentz to play through the most difficult season of his career for the betterment of his career.
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