Wentz Weekly: Carson has developed at an unreal pace for the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is coming off yet another huge outing. Here’s why he’s playing so much better than anyone expected.

The Philadelphia Eagles are 6-1 and currently sit with the best record in the NFL. A lot of the team’s success, most certainly, has to be credited to second-year single caller Carson Wentz. Wentz is coming off a four-touchdown performance Monday night and on the season has 17 touchdown passes, which eclipses Wentz’s total of 16 in his rookie year.

The rate at which Wentz has developed so far has been unlike any quarterback we have seen in recent history.

Wentz came into the league as the number two overall pick in the 2016 Draft. After being expected to redshirt for his rookie season, the young North Dakota State Bison was thrust into the starting lineup when the Eagles dealt then-quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings a mere eight days before the 2016 season kicked off.

Much to the credit of the Eagles’ and their front office, they did not hold back when it came to accustoming Carson to the NFL. From Week 1, Wentz was given the keys to the Eagles offense and they did not hold his hand throughout the process. For a guy that was supposed to sit out his rookie year, he looked pretty comfortable in any situation he was put in.

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By contrast, take a look at the Chicago Bears and their current rookie quarterback situation. They are running their offense very conservatively while trying not to overwhelm this season’s number two overall pick, Mitch Trubisky. Obviously, every situation is different, but the best way to expose a young quarterback to what to expect is to let them experience what it takes to play this position. Which is more than throwing the ball seven times a game.

The Eagles were extremely fortunate to have drafted a young QB with the intangibles of Wentz. It is a lot easier to develop a quarterback when they come into the league with the prototypical size, mobility, arm strength and intelligence of Carson. So many quarterbacks have physical weaknesses that have to be developed, but in Wentz’s case it was just getting him exposure and improve the little things.

Wentz as a rookie was far from a polished quarterback. While he showed plenty of promise, there were things that he most certainly had to improve upon. Last season, Wentz seemed to force a lot of throws, struggle with accuracy down the field, and really was just continuing to adapt to the speed of the NFL.

This season it seems that Carson is making the right throws, finally hitting on his deep balls as we saw on the touchdown pass to Mack Hollins, and it seems Wentz has adapted to the speed of this level.

A huge part of this success has to be given to the fact that the Eagles were able to deal Bradford and pave the way for Wentz to play all of the last season. If Carson had sat out last season, odds are he would most likely be going through his rookie learning curve now instead of being poised to lead a deep playoff run.

A year and a half later, it seems almost unthinkable that the Eagles were even considering sitting Wentz for a full season. With the talent he has, it would have been a waste to not have him play his rookie year. The fact that Carson got to play, make rookie mistakes, and learn from them has set him up to take the next step this season.

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Not only has Wentz taken the next step, he is playing at an MVP-caliber level. With his touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor in the third quarter against Washington, the signal caller surpassed his passing touchdown total from last season, and there are still nine games left in the season. After throwing 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a rookie, Wentz has tossed 17 TD’s to only four picks through only seven games.

Going into the 2017 offseason, many knew that Eagles had a quarterback who had the potential to be great, but with a full offseason and more talent around him, Wentz has turned that potential into tangible greatness.

With legitimate threats on the outside this season, Wentz has continuously carved up secondaries. The chemistry between Wentz and tight end Zach Ertz has been unreal and has been a huge factor in the breakout seasons both Wentz and Ertz are having.

A lot of credit has to be given to Vice President of Football Operations Howie Roseman, for one, paving the way for Wentz to play his rookie season by dealing Bradford; and two, going out and acquiring pieces to put around the second year QB. It was obvious last season, that if Wentz had pieces around him, he could thrive, and so far, he’s done just that.

Wentz is a special kid on and off the field. We have seen his off the field impact recently and most certainly are seeing his incredible impact on the field. It seems no matter what is going on, Wentz has the ability to make a play and continue to extend drives. He has proven to be a leader and should just continue to grow as a quarterback and as a leader.

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It is amazing to see in just one year how much the Eagles special young QB has grown. Sitting atop the NFL and an MVP favorite, the sky is most certainly the limit for Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles.