Philadelphia Eagles: 5 signs Carson Wentz can be their new franchise QB
By John Buhler
Carson Wentz has the Philadelphia Eagles at 2-0 after his first two NFL starts. Here are five signs that Wentz is the Eagles’ new franchise quarterback.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a big gamble by trading up (twice) to select North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Wentz has a lot of raw talent, but he did play at a run-first FCS school in college.
Wentz joined an Eagles roster that looked devoid of talent under first year head coach Doug Pederson. The Eagles had just undergone a failed culture change under former head coach Chip Kelly. Wentz and the Eagles seemed doomed from the start of 2016 in what should have been a major rebuilding season in Philadelphia.
Instead, Wentz has helped get the Eagles to 2-0 on the season. While the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears are poised to be terrible football teams this season, here are five signs that Wentz is the next franchise quarterback for the Eagles.
5. He’s thrown over 30 times in his first two starts
For a rookie quarterback that didn’t start a full season at the FCS level in 2015, the Eagles have no problem in asking Wentz to throw more than 30 times a game. With Philadelphia winning both of its games by more than two scores, this is a great sign for the Eagles’ new franchise quarterback.
After taking the lead against the Browns and Bears, Philadelphia could have easily gone to an ultra-conservative game plan by having Wentz hand the ball off on every first and second down to eat up some clock.
Having Wentz attempt 30 to 40 passes a week is great for his growth as a passer. He’s not being asked to throw the football every snap on offense, but is able to get the necessary reps to improve as a starting quarterback from week to week.
Philadelphia would be wise to design its offensive game plan to have Wentz in that 30 to 40 pass attempts per game threshold his rookie year. He’ll gain confidence with every pass he attempts, but won’t feel the burden that comes with slinging the pigskin over 50 times a game.
The Eagles are letting Wentz play in a controlled, but still very much an NFL offense. They’re not throwing him out to the wolves with an absurd number of pass attempts, nor are they holding his hand every step of the way with a weak 20 pass attempt game plan.