Philadelphia Eagles: 5 ways to fix the offense over the bye week

Nov 1, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) talks with head coach Doug Pederson during the fourth quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) talks with head coach Doug Pederson during the fourth quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Eagles’ John Hightower (82) fails to get under a pass under pressure from Dallas’ Trevon Diggs (27) Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, at Lincoln Financial Field.Sports Eagles Cowboys
Eagles’ John Hightower (82) fails to get under a pass under pressure from Dallas’ Trevon Diggs (27) Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, at Lincoln Financial Field.Sports Eagles Cowboys /

More “calculated” risks.

Running issues aside, one of the biggest issues that has plagued the offense is that of turnovers. Carson Wentz has already set a career-high in interceptions, and his reckless downfield targeting has resulted in a plethora of failed drives.

Last year, the most infuriating part of the Eagles offense was their lack of vertical speed. The team  didn’t have a single receiver who could stretch the field, and it forced the offense to rely on short-passing and laboriously long drives.

The Eagles went all out in terms of fixing that issue here in 2020, and they maybe went overboard with it. They’ve routinely entered games with playbooks designed completely around repeated deep shots to fifth-round rookie John Hightower, and it’s tended to result in interceptions more times than not.

A rehabbing Jalen Reagor could definitely help the team’s struggling deep attack, but ultimately, Pederson and Wentz need to dial back some of the 50+ yard bombs. The team simply doesn’t have the pass protection to give their QB clean pockets to throw from, and the Eagles rookies haven’t yet proven good enough to warrant so many targets down field.