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"Something has to change."
-had to ask #Saints S @MalcolmJenkins about what's going on with his former team and the #FlyEaglesFly QB situation:#NFL pic.twitter.com/CGpBvGqfgI
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 29, 2021
Malcolm Jenkins has returned to the New Orleans Saints, the team that brought him into the NFL way back in 2009, but the Philadelphia Eagles still have a special place in his heart. That’s the team where he grew into his best self, both as a player and as a leader in the locker room and in the community. It’s where he won his second Super Bowl title.
So he’s as bummed as anyone to see the state of the Eagles now. Championship-winning coach Doug Pederson is out of the picture after a power struggle with the front office and a breakdown with Carson Wentz, Philadelphia’s handpicked franchise quarterback whose contract carries $59 million in dead money this offseason. Wentz himself is being pressed for the starting gig after Jalen Hurts outplayed him late in the 2020 season (having introduced himself to the NFL by upsetting Jenkins’ Saints, of course).
During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Jenkins shared his perspective on the Eagles rebuild and what challenges are in store for them.
“They got a situation where, obviously, they were all-in with Carson Wentz this year. A lot of money invested into him. And then they had Jalen Hurts come in and really take command of the offense, ignite a little bit of juice into the team, and that’s not the first that’s happened in Philly,” Jenkins said, referring to Nick Foles’ Super Bowl run that ended with a bronze statue of him standing outside the team’s stadium. He added: “It’s one of those things where, something has to change, whether that onus is on the coaching staff or you put that onus on the players who are there.”
Eagles ownership decided that onus was on the coaches; Pederson was fired and replaced by first-year coach Nick Sirianni, the former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator. While Jenkins is optimistic Sirianni and his new staff can turn things around, he’s looking for changes from Wentz to ultimately decide where the Eagles go from here.
He continued, “Some of the other issues that I felt when I was in the locker was that there was just too much leeway, and it didn’t make him a better player. I don’t think they did him any favors by trying to protect his ego or protect him as a player, as opposed to — as with every other player — keeping it performance-based and really being real about what he needs to improve on. But also adjusting to put him in places that can make him successful. And that’s a little on the coaching staff, and a little onus on the player.”
Jenkins went on to point to the work players put in away from the facility, during the offseason, noting that repeating the same process and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. The way he sees it, at the end of the day, hope for improvement from Wentz is going to fall on No. 11’s shoulders: “Regardless of who they bring in to coach him, he’s still gonna have to improve as a player in order for that team to have success.”
He’ll get a first-row seat to find out if things are different in 2021. The Saints are scheduled to make another road trip to Lincoln Financial Field next season after drawing the NFC East, having last hosted the Eagles in that rotation in 2018 (the 2020 meeting was due to both teams winning their divisions the year before). Maybe things go differently for Jenkins and the Saints this time around after last year’s 24-21 loss.
