Eagles Mailbag: Carson Wentz is eventually going to need a stronger supporting cast

Welcome to another edition of the BGN Mailbag. Each weekend I'll be taking some of your Philadelphia Eagles questions and answering them here. As always, thanks to everyone who sent in a question. We already answered some of your inquiries on the latest episode of BGN Radio (click HERE to listen). Now I'll be getting to some of the ones we didn't already address. Let's get started. To the Q&A ...

@EaglesIntel asks: How imperative is it to surround Carson Wentz with talent for growth/confidence?

It's very important that Wentz has a strong supporting cast. I think that's part of why the Eagles are being so patient with him. They know their offensive isn't exactly loaded with weapons. The talent at running back and wide receiver is thin. The Eagles aren't eager to rush him into a situation where he's going to have to carry the team from Day 1.

Philadelphia knew they couldn't fix their entire offense in one offseason. Instead, they focused on getting Wentz as the cornerstone. Now they can build the offense around him. Future offseasons should and likely will be dedicated to adding more offensive talent through free agency, trades, and the NFL draft. Then by the time Wentz takes over as starter, all the pressure won't be solely on him.

@EaglesIntel asks: Early thoughts on Rueben Randle outlook?

Randle missed a lot of practice this spring due to gallbladder surgery. He looked good to me in the short amount of time he actually did practice. His size stands out. He also seems to have good hands, which isn't something you can easily say for Eagles receivers these days.

Randle could easily be in line for a lot of playing time this season. The only wide receiver clearly better than him on the roster is Jordan Matthews. Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff both had disappointing spring performances that were riddled with drops. Then there's obviously the recent off field issue with Agholor as well. Chris Givens looked good so he's in the mix for playing time.

I think Philadelphia's starting receivers this season will be Matthews (playing mostly in the slot), Agholor, and then one of Randle or Givens. Agholor then might lose his playing time if he continues to struggle like he did last year as a rookie.

@MistaMastah asks: Percentage chance that there is a fullback on the 53-man roster? Is his name Trey Burton?

I don't think Trey Burton ends up playing fullback. I didn't really see the Eagles use him in that role during the spring. They split him out wide more often than they had him lined up in the backfield.

The Eagles might not carry a "traditional" fullback at all, but fourth string tight end Chris Pantale could be in the mix at the position.

Fourth string tight end Chris Pantale was (and still is) a relative unknown heading into spring practices. He's looked good catching the ball, though. He's also been getting first team reps at fullback. Pantale is bigger than your average fullback at 6-6 so it remains to be seen if this experiment will work out. He'll also need to prove he can play special teams well. For now, I might pencil in Pantale for a roster spot. Or the practice squad again, at least.

@DatMartinezFam asks: Do you think Mychal Kendricks can turn his career around and have a Pro Bowl season?

It's hard to figure out Kendricks sometimes. He's very erratic. He was up and down in 2013. He was great in 2014. He was more down than up last season. He has the athleticism and natural talent required for success. In that vein, I do think he can rebound from his poor outing in 2015. But the scheme change is a factor as well. One of Kendricks' biggest strengths is that he's a great pass rusher. He presumably won't be doing that as much now if the Eagles are relying heavily on their front four in the wide-nine. Kendricks gained 15 pounds this offseason in preparation for the team's move back to a 4-3 scheme under Jim Schwartz.

Kendricks is expecting to have a big year. He thinks he's Pro Bowl bound.

@CityTank asks: Can Kenjon Barner be the number one back, regardless whether Ryan Mathews stays healthy?

I don't see him stepping up and becoming a lead back. He's never flashed that kind of potential at the NFL level. I think, at best, he can be a quality rotational player in the Eagles' running-back-by-committee approach this year.

@Willing2GoHamm asks: If it were possible would it make sense for the Eagles bring back Bryce Brown in to the RB mix?

Brown's a free agent but I don't think the Eagles should or would have interest in him. He's still pretty young; he only turned 25 last month. But he just hasn't been very good since leaving Philadelphia. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry in 2014 with the Bills before dropping down to 2.9 with the Seahawks last season. The Eagles don't have an inspiring group of running backs right now, but adding Brown doesn't help fix that.

@_joelbryant_ asks: Could you guys do an Eagles beat writers power ranking (or even better, mock draft)?

1) BLG

Fin.