Eagles are right to roll the dice on Carson Wentz

Wrapping up another postseason run with Nick Foles, the Philadelphia Eagles aim to move forward with Carson Wentz.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ season ended this past Sunday after a heartbreaking loss to the New Orleans Saints that came down to the hands of Alshon Jeffery. Nick Foles’ potentially last pass as an Eagles quarterback could turn out to be an interception that went right off the hands of Jeffery, sealing a Saints’ victory.

After another fantastic run with Foles, the Eagles and the quarterback appear ready to move on. Foles is expected to test the open market. His sights aim to be a full-time starter once again.

“Yeah, like I said, I would love to lead a team,” Foles said Monday, per ESPN. “The starter thing, leading a team, impacting a locker room… that’s why we play the game, to impact people, to create an atmosphere.”

There is no quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. Foles makes it clear he wishes to be a starter, but Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson, has other plans for how the franchise will move forward at the quarterback position.

“Carson is the quarterback going forward,” Pederson told reporters on Tuesday. “In Nick’s case, we would love to have everybody back throughout the roster. As I’ve said many many times, it’s not about one guy. It’s about the team. And we’re going to do what’s best for the team.”

Many have mocked such a theory of the Eagles going back to Wentz after winning Super Bowl LII with Foles — MVP of the game. The decision isn’t so cut and dry as it appears.

Philadelphia believes they are moving forward with the quarterback the decision makers believe is the better of the two moving forward. That’s not incredibly far fetched either.

Wentz returned in Week 3 this season after suffering an ACL/LCL tear that stalled an MVP-caliber campaign in 2017. The Eagles struggled upon the quarterback’s return, which was short lived after Wentz suffered a mysterious fracture to his back in December that caused him to miss rest of the season, including the postseason. The team finished with a 5-6 record in 11 of his starts.

Despite the overall record, Wentz was quietly playing well as he was returning to football playing form. The quarterback broke a record held by Atlanta Falcons star, Matt Ryan, when he threw for one touchdown and no more than one interception in 22 straight starts, which was the longest mark in NFL history.

That’s a historical accolade that isn’t mentioned much when discussing the talent level of Wentz. Achieving such a record for a quarterback only in his third season is phenomenal and should be looked at as such.

Wentz also achieved another historic marker in 2018. The Eagles’ star is the second quarterback in NFL history to post a passer rating higher than 115 with 30 or more pass attempts. The other quarterback was future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning, in 2012.

Another eye-popping stat the young quarterback owns is the fact he’s the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 10,000 yards, 70 touchdowns, and fewer than 30 interceptions through 40 games.

The second-year quarterback made a leap with his talent in 2017, before suffering his knee injury in December against the Los Angeles Rams. During that game, Wentz broke the franchise’s record for most passing touchdowns thrown in a season (33) in just 13 starts. The quarterback enters his fourth season in 2019 and already is the franchise’s seventh all-time leading passer with 10,152 yards.

Over Wentz’s last 24 starts, the Eagles have gone 17-8. He has thrown for 6,370 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The quarterback also finished with a higher passer rating (102.2) than he did during his phenomenal sophomore season (101.1).

The team’s President of Football Operations, Howie Roseman, knows the team can’t ask their franchise quarterback to win them every game. Roseman is well aware the rushing attack must improve in order to see Wentz at his highest playing level.

“Jay getting hurt early, Corey getting hurt, that was a position that was affected,” Roseman said to reporters. “Again, we want to strengthen the roster. We want to make sure we’re improving the roster and not standing pat.”

The Eagles haven’t seen the best their 26-year-old quarterback has to offer them. The quick decision to move forward with their second-overall pick in 2016 NFL Draft is a no brainer despite obvious injury concerns.

The organization is going to get a motivated Wentz in 2019. The quarterback admitted to his frustrations missing another postseason and how he aims to shed the injury-prone label moving forward.

“Super frustrating,” Wentz said, according to reporters. “To be on the sideline for the playoffs two years in a row is tough.

“I look forward to putting (the injury-prone label) to rest over the next couple of years.”

Going into 2019, the Eagles are committed to Wentz for the foreseeable future. Foles will be starting elsewhere and the young quarterback out of North Dakota State will be leading the franchise once again.