A Three-Step Plan to Fixing Carson Wentz
In his five years of playing, Carson Wentz has shown many different looks of the type of player he is; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Photo: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
This year, however, it’s been worse than ugly. He’s greatly regressed to the point to where there are growing talks of benching him in favor of Jalen Hurts.
Statistically speaking, he’s on pace to throw 24 interceptions, the most by any Eagles quarterback since Sonny Jurgensen in 1962.
His quarterback rating is also yet to touch over 100 in any game, making him one of six quarterbacks not to do so.
Even numbers aside, the eye test will tell you that he’s playing like a mediocre quarterback. Wentz hasn’t always been this way though, and it’s unreasonable to believe that he won’t ever get back to the way he looked in 2017.
Instead, the Eagles must pinpoint his shortcomings and adjust their team accordingly.
1) Hire a New Quarterback Coach
It’s obvious that John DeFillipo did wonders for Wentz in his time here, as Wentz had his mechanics close to master in 2017. But ever since, Wentz has shown a tendency of overthrowing his receivers often, which may have to do with the big arm he has. Additionally, it’s no secret Wentz has had fumbling problems; he leads the league in fumbles lost since his rookie year.
Part of that problem is an inability to quickly go through reads. These are issues that are fixable, however, and with the right quarterback coach, they will be, with Wentz’s ability to pick up new lessons fast.
2) Hire a Real Offensive Coordinator
Just like DeFillipo, the departure of Frank Reich has impacted not just Carson Wentz, but the Eagles offense as a whole, negatively. In all good offensive systems, playcalling duties need to be shared, as they were with the 2017 Eagles. Currently, it is Doug Pederson who calls plays the entire game. Coach Pederson’s consistent tendency to abandon the run when it’s working has harmed Wentz in more ways than one, making it harder for the quarterback to succeed. The Eagles cannot expect Wentz to do well if he’s forced to throw 40+ times a game, as he has in five games this season.
In order to put Wentz in a good place to win games, the Eagles have to find an established offensive coordinator that can play to the strengths of Wentz.
3) Properly Discipline Wentz
Part of what makes up Carson Wentz’s identity is being a playmaker; he is not a quitter and fights till the end. It’s also one of the prevailing issues with him. Countless times this season, Wentz’s refusal to give up on plays has ended up hurting the Eagles by either taking a sack or even turning it over. Wentz needs to understand that it is ok to give up on plays and throw the ball away if it means being able to sustain the drive.
Right now, it’s clear that no one on the Eagles staff is calling him out on it during practice, hence his continuation of the same habits. In getting a new quarterback coach or offensive coordinator, the Eagles must search to find one who won’t tolerate Wentz’s erratic play.
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