It’s time for Jalen Hurts to get meaningful snaps for the Eagles

One way or another Carson Wentz is a broken quarterback right now, so it’s time for the Eagles to give Jalen Hurts meaningful snaps.

The Philadelphia Eagles are leading the moribund NFL East. But their 3-6-1 has come with a lead issue–Carson Wentz is a struggling, broken quarterback. That has led to calls for his benching, or wondering what it would take to bench him. But head coach Doug Pederson has not been willing to make the switch to rookie Jalen Hurts.

Went has thrown a league-high 14 interceptions, and he has taken a league-high 40 sacks along with a league-high 10 fumbles. The Eagles offensive line has been hurt by injuries and general poor performance, but Wentz is not right right now. Benching him would not change his future as the Eagles’ starting quarterback, at least for now.

On Wednesday, when of course asked about Wentz again, Pederson started to sing a slightly different tune.

“Is Carson my starter? He’s my starter, end of story,” “And you guys can blow it up however you want, and that’s fine.”

Pederson acknowledged that “tough decisions have to be made in this business, whether it’s a tough decision to move on from a player in the offseason, or the decision now, whether you’re gonna make the move at quarterback or not.”

When asked to clarify if he was going to make a tough decision at quarterback before Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, Pederson said no and cited it only being Wednesday. He again confirmed Wentz will start Monday night.

It’s time for Jalen Hurts to see meaningful snaps

In the second round of April’s draft, the Eagles set aside some more urgent needs to take Hurts 53rd overall. The idea he would share the field with Wentz at times and be a multi-purpose weapon as a rookie was put out there. Through 10 games Hurts has played a total of 31 snaps (four percent share), with 12 carries for 56 yards and one catch for three yards while going 2-for-2 passing for 27 yards. In Week 11 against the Browns, as Wentz perhaps reached his lowest point in a dismal season, Hurts saw the field for just one snap and had a six-yard run on it.

On Monday, Pederson allowed for the idea Hurts might play more.

“I think I can get him in the game a little bit more,” Pederson said.

The Eagles’ offensive struggles aren’t all on Wentz, with injuries and ineptness all around him. But he’s not helping matters, regularly holding the ball too long in search of a big play rather than taking an easier throw that’s there. Then come hits, sacks, fumbles and rushed, often inaccurate throws.

Only the Eagles really know how Hurts is progressing in practice and behind the scenes. It’s possible he’s just not yet to where he needs to be to start games. But he has more mobility than Wentz, and more importantly he’s probably in much better head space right now.

Monday night might be Wentz’s last shot to get it right in 2020 before Hurts takes over. At minimum the rookie signal caller should push close to, if not past, his single-game high of seven snaps (Week 6 against Baltimore) against the Seahawks.