Eagles Shouldn't Have Buyer's Remorse for QB Carson Wentz's Extension

If Philadelphia Eagles fans filled the seats at Lincoln Financial Field, they'd call relentlessly for Jalen Hurts to replace Carson Wentz. Typically, the backup quarterback is the perceived easy-fix solution for offensive woes, but this team has deeper issues on that side of the ball. 

Even at his worst, with a league-leading 15 interceptions and a career-low 58.1 percent completion rate, Wentz can redeem himself with stronger support. Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman didn't make a mistake in signing him to a four-year, $128 million extension in June of 2019.

Wentz has his issues. No one can absolve him of the Eagles' offensive ineptitude. The big-play passer must learn to take checkdown options rather than hold the ball and force attempts downfield. He's made some poor decisions with solid pass-blocking. According to Pro Football Focus, Wentz threw nine of his 14 interceptions in a clean pocket going into Week 12.

And tight end Dallas Goedert took the blame for Wentz's costly red-zone interception midway through the fourth quarter of last Monday's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, per Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I tried to work the leverage [on Bobby Wagner]," Goedert said. "I was kind of [sliding] inside so he wouldn't be able to break up the play and I'd be able to make it. Carson thought I was going to be going down and away and threw it there. I should've been where he thought I was going to be. I'll take the blame for that one." 

Goedert isn't the only one who needs to accept culpability for a turnover-prone offense that ranks 25th in scoring and 28th for total yards. This isn't a bailout for Wentz. He's only part of the problem in a flawed system.

Let's start with the Eagles' makeshift offensive line, which has featured 10 different combinations through 11 contests, per John Clark of NBCS Philadelphia.

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Before Week 1, the Eagles lost left tackle Andre Dillard (torn biceps) and right guard Brandon Brooks (torn Achilles) for the year. The front office re-signed Jason Peters to fill the latter position, but Dillard's injury reopened his pathway back to the perimeter. He moved inside for Week 12 after some rough outings. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Peters has allowed seven sacks. He's also missed four games with a toe injury. The 38-year-old should've retired this past offseason. 

Last week, the Eagles lost three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson as he opted to undergo season-ending ankle surgery. Matt Pryor started in his place during the previous outing, but Philadelphia may roll out its 11th offensive line combination Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field if Jack Driscoll can overcome an ankle injury.

Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta have all made starts at left guard, which makes center Jason Kelce the only consistent starter on the front line.

As the Eagles have played Tetris to fill holes in the trenches, one could see why Wentz may not trust the pass protection and make predetermined decisions to escape the pocket. Defenders have pressured him on 27 percent of his dropbacks, sixth-most leaguewide.

Last year, three of the Eagles' offensive linemen started in all 16 games: Seumalo, Kelce and Brooks. In 2020, only one has appeared in every contest (Kelce) with so many five-man combinations, which hurts the continuity up front.

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The Eagles have an even bigger problem with play-calling. This is directly linked to head coach Doug Pederson.

Despite the constant change in offensive line personnel, running back Miles Sanders has averaged 5.6 yards per carry. As a backup, Boston Scott is averaging 4.8. Yet Philadelphia ranks 28th in carries, and that's with Wentz's 49 rushing attempts for 258 yards and five touchdowns.

Wentz has the third-highest interception rate (3.6 percent). He's taken the most sacks (46). His top wide receiver threats are Travis Fulgham, who didn't make the active roster until October 3; rookie Jalen Reagor; and Alshon Jeffery, who's coming off Lisfranc surgery. 

Fulgham accumulated 27 receptions for 378 yards and three touchdowns between Weeks 5 and 8, but his production faded once Goedert and Reagor came back from injuries.

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Pederson has neglected the ground attack and underutilized Sanders, who had just one more carry than Wentz in a competitive Week 12 matchup.

In a mailbag response, The Athletic's Zach Berman suggested that Pederson temporarily give up play-calling responsibilities before the team contemplates benching Wentz. 

"My guess is ceding play calling would happen before a quarterback change. Andy Reid did it as head coach of the Eagles. Matt Nagy did it this season with the Bears. It doesn't need to be a permanent change and it's a low-overhead way of trying to ignite the offense. It should have happened already. I don't think the Eagles are ready to bench Wentz for Hurts. The organizational commitment is too significant." 

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pederson has already delegated some of the play-calling duties to passing game coordinator Press Taylor and offensive assistant Rich Scangarello in certain situations. Per McLane's report, he could assign more responsibilities to his staff going forward.

We've watched Wentz play at a high level for three consecutive campaigns between 2017 and 2019. He led his team to the playoffs with an injury-riddled wide receiver corps last season, but the Eagles also had the 11th-ranked rushing offense and a relatively consistent offensive line minus Johnson after Week 14. Peters gave up just three sacks, per Pro Football Focus. Brooks and Kelce earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, respectively.

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Philadelphia selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft. Because of his early-round pedigree, he's viewed as a potential savior while Wentz goes through his worst season.     

Even so, Philadelphia has a proven playmaker whose mistakes seem correctable when you compare his performances from this season to the last three years. Wentz didn't turn into an unplayable backup over the course of an offseason. He's earned the benefit of the doubt to bounce back from a disappointing term. 

Instead of buyer's remorse, the Eagles should do more to aid their struggling franchise quarterback. Protect him with a stable offensive line and feature Sanders on the ground. Those two fixes alone could lead to better results and elevate a talented signal-caller who's still capable of playing up to his new contract.  

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.