Philadelphia Eagles: No more excuses for Carson Wentz

The Philadelphia Eagles have high hopes for second year quarterback Carson Wentz. With several additions to the offense, Wentz and the Eagles are out of excuses, which is a good thing.

Coming into last season, no one expected Carson Wentz to take meaningful snaps. Those plans flew out the window when check down king Sam Bradford was traded to the Vikings. While the team did have a few playmakers to ease Wentz’s transition into the NFL, it was mostly up to him to make plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.

This resulted in some good plays, but also some bad plays, along with a 7-9 record. Many, including myself, believed Wentz and the Eagles would approach 2016 as a learning year, getting some of the growing pains out of the way early. What Wentz did in his rookie year was far from just a lesson year, showing he has the skills to keep his team in the game with not much around him.

With a wide receiver depth chart topped by Jordan Matthews, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Nelson Agholor, and often injured Ryan Mathews as the starting running back, Wentz seemed behind the eight-ball from the get go. The lack of help showed throughout the year and the Eagles were wise to seek change in the offseason. With the additions of Alshon Jeffrey, Torrey Smith, and LeGarrette Blount, Wentz is poised to make a jump.

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The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t had a solid depth chart at the skill positions since Chip Kelly decided to blow up the team by getting rid of Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy, but this year is different. Setting Carson Wentz up for success from the start is the key to him becoming a productive quarterback for a long time.

Gone are the days of “Wentz has no one to throw to” and “None of the running backs can stay healthy”. With a total of 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, these numbers should skyrocket because of the additions made.

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In just one year Carson Wentz has shown he isn’t the type of player to make excuses, he just goes out and works harder. Now that he does’t have to carry the entire offensive game on his own, Wentz can simplify his game and let his new playmakers help him win games.

It may seem early, but this could be a make or break year. A player with the physical tools of Carson Wentz should be able to increase his stats with the additions made. If a 7-9 season comes out of the below average depth chart of last year, I don’t think it’s out of the question to look for a playoff run out of a reinvigorated Carson Wentz.