Philadelphia Eagles: “Worst case scenario” has developed at QB position

The Philadelphia Eagles “QB factory” plan has backfired.

When Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles made the decision to draft Jalen Hurts in the second-round of this past year’s draft, people were understandably confused. Carson Wentz was coming off a franchise record-setting year in 2019, had just led the team to a division title, and of course had a $128 million extension set to kick in after the 2020 season. While the Eagles needed a solid backup behind him, the move to draft one with the 53rd pick seemed like an extremely poor allocation of resources.

Not only was it a misuse of a valuable second-round pick, but it also had the potential to negatively impact Wentz. The former MVP candidate has battled through two full years of controversy and confusion with Nick Foles being on the roster, and the general consensus was that he had to “earn” the trust of the locker room back in 2019. By winning four division games down the stretch – he had done just that. However, with a new shiny rookie quarterback now in the building, the potential to lose grasp on the team was once again prevalent.

While Howie Roseman and company swore up down left and right that the drafting of Hurts would have no impact on Wentz, the simple truth is that they had no way of knowing. Some players respond well to added competition and pressure (Aaron Rodgers for example), some don’t. It wasn’t too long ago that Tom Brady forced the Patriots to move off developing quarterback prospect Jimmy Garappolo – a move that ultimately worked out favorably for NE, but has also left them directionless here in 2020.

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Sat at 4-10-1 with their franchise quarterback on the bench, it’s safe to say that Roseman guessed wrong when it came to how Wentz would respond to another backup QB controversy. There’s obviously a ton of factors that have played into Carson’s struggles this year (bad O-Line play, bad WR play, injuries, play-calling, his own personal flaws), but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Wentz was looking over his shoulder the entire year, taking snaps at WR on occasion just so his direct competition could see the football field.

With Wentz ultimately hitting the bench, there was still a chance for the whole “two QB system” thing to work out. If Hurts entered the league looking like a future franchise talent, then the Eagles would be able to shed tons of salary by switching from #11 to #2 – a move that Roseman could take direct credit for.

While Hurts looked promising in his first two NFL starts, the possibility of him permanently replacing Wentz somewhat came crashing down on Sunday.

Outside of Hurts’ performance against the Cowboys (3 turnovers, 18.6 QBR), there’s simply been little to signify that he’s the clear longterm answer at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. His completion percentage has been in the mid-to-low 50s in his three starts, and the offense has routinely struggled in the second halves of games (a sign that defenses are able to adjust to Hurts’ athleticism and mobility).

For reference’s sake, here’s Wentz’ first couple career starts compared to Hurts’:

A lot of people have been quick to claim that we shouldn’t compare Wentz and Hurts to each other – which a pretty silly conclusion to make. Of course we have to compare the two, there can only be one starting quarterback on the Philadelphia Eagles.

The second Roseman selected Hurts in the second-round, he made this season about comparing Hurts to Wentz. Unfortunately for the Eagles, this plan has backfired pretty spectacularly. They’ve now pissed off their franchise QB by relegating him to the bench, and it doesn’t appear that Hurts is the second coming of Russell Wilson just yet. Mock drafts around the country have even started projecting Philly to take a quarterback with their first-round draft pick, which is a pretty good sign that the team has royally screwed up their QB room.

Roseman gambled on two things this offseason. Number one being that Wentz would respond well to added controversy, and number two being that Hurts was going to be good enough to mask any roster deficiencies should he be called upon to replace Wentz. Sitting at 4-10-1 heading into a meaningless Week 17 matchup – it’s safe to say that Roseman gambled incorrectly on both.

It’s unknown what the Philadelphia Eagles plan of attack will be this offseason, and if Roseman will even be the one spearheading it. However, the simple reality is that this “plan” of building a QB factory was always a horrible idea. An idea that’s now cost the Eagles with what should’ve been a fairly easy division title.