Jack Steinberg’s Point of View

To call this season a disappointment would be a complete understatement. Coming into it, there were already several questions surrounding the questionable draft decisions of General Manager Howie Roseman, the worst of which was the selection of Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts. 

The Eagles quarterback situation was seemingly established after Carson Wentz’s 2019 season when he

 brought an injury-riddled team to a division win and playoff berth. Still with this in mind, Howie Roseman decided to fill a position that was already established instead of one that was lacking.

This blatantly idiotic decision put unnecessary pressure on Wentz, and we are now reaping the consequences. With the season almost over, Wentz leads the league in turnovers, has one of the lowest QBRs, and has been sacked more than any other QB in the league.

With four games left, Wentz is now benched, and we are firmly out of the playoffs with our worst season in the Doug Pederson/Carson Wentz era. This rapid decline from an elite, borderline top 5 QB to a benchwarmer is troublesome, to say the least, but I still have confidence in my quarterback. 

Wentz has shown immense promise throughout his young career and was one of the essential parts of our Super Bowl run in 2017. Since then, the Eagles have been underwhelming, but that certainly has not been his fault. He had no talent surrounding him and fell victim to an incompetent front office that did not know how to correctly help him.

On top of this, Doug Pederson’s offensive scheme this year has been atrocious. He has repeatedly been giving our star running back, Miles Sanders, limited touches while being incapable of scheming receivers open. This has led to Wentz’s sack totals and troubling amount of interceptions.

Although, as soon as Jalen Hurts took over against the Saints, his schemes seemed entirely different. He was finally using Jalen Reagor for screens and slant routes and decided to commit to running the ball.

He even had Hurts moving out of the pocket, which was something that he had promised to scheme for Wentz. If he had had this competent play calling throughout the season, Wentz’s position on the team would not have been in question. 

Most Eagles fans are not thinking rationally and are calling for Wentz to be traded. I think such a move would be utterly ridiculous. He is still an incredibly talented QB, and this year he has still shown flashes of that. 

With a healthy O-line and some competent receivers around him, he could easily establish the Eagles as a threat in the NFC. Especially considering the prowess of our defense this year. 

I also think that if we trade Wentz, Hurts will not be any better. While he is still an incredible QB, he is not established in this league yet. One game does not make you a franchise QB. If that were the case, Matt Flynn would be a pro bowler.

Wentz has the makeup of a perfect QB, and with some corrections to some mechanical issues, he can absolutely continue to excel in this league. 

I firmly believe that Wentz is our future. However, if the Eagles organization continues to fail him, then I would like nothing more than to see him succeed somewhere else-somewhere that will value his talent and help him live up to his undeniable potential. 

Adam Sherman’s Point of View

While the Eagles season has been a disaster, there is still some hope that it can end on a positive note. The positive note could be multiple things, whether it be squeaking into the playoffs in the worst division in NFL history, or establishing young players and gaining a high draft pick to complement the players we have on our roster.

There is really no certainty to be had on this strange, injury-riddled team, and the quarterback position continues to be the biggest controversy of them all. Carson Wentz has become one of the biggest faces of this Eagles franchise throughout the years, as he was the #2 overall pick in 2016 and looked to be the MVP favorite in 2017 before going down with a torn ACL. Ever since then, injuries have played a major role in Wentz’s career, which was ultimately one of the reasons the Eagles selected QB Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. 

This pick came as a shock to just about everyone, as there were numerous holes in the roster that needed to be filled, especially on defense. QB appeared to be at the bottom of the list after Wentz and the Eagles made their way to the playoffs last season despite most of the offensive weapons being injured; however, Howie Roseman and the Eagles decided that a backup QB was the best option.

Despite being picked in round two, there was no speculation that Hurts would start anytime this season, but with the recent struggles of the team and the passing game, the organization has decided to give the keys to the rookie to try and shake things up a little bit. Although Wentz has been terrible this season, leading the league in interceptions, there are still many questions as to whether it is his fault or not.

Many of the Eagles best offensive lineman have been ruled out for the season, which has resulted in Wentz being the most sacked QB in the league. Additionally, key targets such as Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Jalen Reagor and more have missed significant time which has led to a very lackluster set of targets for Wentz. With that being said, I support the Eagles’ decision to start Jalen Hurts to give him a shot, as the offense through Wentz just has not clicked.

We got to see the first start for the rookie out of Oklahoma against the Saints and while there were a few flaws, he looked like a very special player. His combination of speed and accuracy looked very promising as he threw for 167 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a ridiculous 106 yards. Most importantly, the Eagles saw their best win of the season against a very talented 10-2 Saints team, and the team appeared to be more united.

 I believe that Wentz is very talented and has a spot as a starting QB in this league, but considering where the team is, Hurts has earned the right to continue starting and giving this team the best shot to succeed. Now, it is not certain if Hurts is the answer, but as a second round pick with lots of raw talent, it would be insane to not allow him a chance to play, especially if the starting quarterback had been struggling as much as Wentz has been.

I thank Carson for everything he has done and would be thrilled to see him succeed here, but I also want what is best for the team, the city and the fans. So, if that is moving on from Wentz and starting Hurts, then I wish Carson the best of luck in his career elsewhere.