Philadelphia Eagles: A conservative Carson Wentz isn’t the answer

Trying to reign in Carson Wentz isn’t the answer to the Philadelphia Eagles offensive woes.

Through the first half of the 2020 season, one common theme rang out amongst frustrated fans and critical analysts: “Carson Wentz needs to stop playing hero ball.” On the surface, the logic definitely checked out. Wentz was leading the league in interceptions, he was being careless with the football, and the Philadelphia Eagles were a miserable 3-4-1.

If Wentz could just take what the defense was giving him, throw the ball away more, eat some sacks, and toss some check-downs; then maybe the Eagles could turn things around in the second half.

Just one singular loss later, and it’s clear that this theory was always completely ridiculous.

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Sunday’s loss against the New York Giants was the most “on script” that I’ve ever seen Carson Wentz be. He was extremely careful with the football, rarely looked to extend plays with his legs, took what the defense was giving him, and ultimately followed Doug Pederson’s game-plan to a near perfect level. The problem, however, is that Wentz’ hero ball mindset was never the biggest issue when it comes to the Eagles offense.

In fact, Wentz’ reckless play was the only thing keeping this football team alive.

A conservative Wentz did not hurt the Eagles on Sunday, but he did not help them either. He finished the game with zero turnovers (which many lauded as the biggest problem facing Philly’s offense), but also generated zero big plays. He didn’t throw for any touchdowns and he didn’t run for any touchdowns, and the Eagles collectively went 0-9 on third downs.

Wentz was methodical and precise with his decision making, only dialing up the deep ball when specifically told to. He undoubtedly missed a handful of throws that he’d like to have back, but his receivers also did him no favors, as they dropped multiple balls that should’ve been caught (Miles Sanders and Travis Fulgham were specifically bad in this area). The offense generated zero explosiveness via the air, and was completely reliant on a running game that Doug Pederson seemed insistent on going away from as the game progressed.

Whether it’s Wentz or Jalen Hurts in at QB, this is ultimately what the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles offense is always going to look like. The offensive line has regressed to one of the worst in football, key veterans can’t stay healthy, the head coach refuses to commit to the ground game, and the wide receiver room collectively still ranks towards the bottom of the NFL. Travis Fulgham seemingly fell back into normalcy on Sunday (he is a former sixth-round pick who got cut by two teams after all), Jalen Reagor has yet to have a good game as a pro, and Greg Ward is a glorified backup.

All three struggle to create separation via their route running, making the idea of “taking what the defense gives you” fail in practice when you consider the fact that the team’s three starting WRs are consistently draped by defenders.

Wentz was willing to “check-down” all Sunday long against New York. The problem was that his receivers were simply never open.

Carson Wentz had some truly painful moments early on in the season, but it’s quickly becoming clear why he felt the need to play recklessly so often. The Philadelphia Eagles offensive scheme is broken and outdated, and the only way they can consistently move the football is via some “hero ball” from their franchise QB. The interceptions and the fumbles that come with this style of play are frustrating, but at least you could bank on one or two drive-saving plays from #11.

Ultimately speaking, this season is pretty much a wash, and what happens over the next seven games doesn’t particularly matter. The Philadelphia Eagles need to tear this thing down and start over, and if/when they do, they would be wise to actually build around their quarterback’s tendencies and strengths, instead of trying to mold him into a player that he’s not.