Eagles News: Philadelphia still has “every intention to keep Carson Wentz”

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Sources: Philadelphia Eagles intend to keep Carson Wentz, still believe in struggling QB - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts will make his first NFL start Sunday, but team sources tell ESPN that the Eagles still have every intention to keep Carson Wentz and have him be a major part of their team. Despite his struggles throughout this season, the Eagles still believe in Wentz as a player and person, and still believe he can return as the type of standout quarterback he once was, according to team sources. “None of this changes the belief that people have in Carson,” one team source insisted to ESPN this weekend. Philadelphia doesn’t know how its quarterback situation will play out, and doesn’t know what the future holds for Wentz. But the Eagles are on the clock, in a sense, to decide Wentz’s immediate future with the organization. The Eagles must make a decision by the second day of the 2021 league year — sometime in mid-March — because on the third day of the league year, Wentz’s $22 million base salary for 2022 becomes fully guaranteed and his 2021 roster bonus of $10 million also is paid out.

Carson Wentz’s future uncertain as Jalen Hurts makes first career start for Eagles - NFL.com
When Jalen Hurts steps on the field Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, he will do more than simply make his first start for the Philadelphia Eagles. He’ll do more than kick-start an offense that has stagnated terribly. The second-rounder from Oklahoma and Alabama may also go a long way in determining Carson Wentz’s future in Philadelphia. While Wentz is being replaced as starter in favor of Hurts by head coach Doug Pederson this week, there are many strong voices in the organization who believe Wentz can still be a very good quarterback in the NFL. They have invested so much in him — two massive trades, a No. 2 pick, a four-year, $128 million extension — and don’t think he’s nearly done being a starter. Those people in the building believe that Carson simply needs a deep breath, a reboot and a little time to get back to what he was. They anticipate Wentz returning to the forefront. They believe he’s fixable. But if Hurts impresses in one start, he’ll get another. Then another. If he impresses in all four, it gets complicated.

What should the Eagles do about Carson Wentz next season? The NFL weighs in - Inquirer
Wentz’s mechanics, several sources said, have noticeably gotten worse in three seasons. “He needs a strong coach who stresses the details,” an NFC senior scout said. “Mechanics, progressions, etc. Just need to rebuild his confidence and surround him with better personnel. It’s not all on him, but it starts with him being disciplined. “He was best when Flip was coaching him and stressing the details. He needs to get back to that.” If Wentz is in the plans, Lurie could be attracted to offensive coordinators who have been responsible for either reviving a quarterback’s career or taking one’s to greater heights. The Titans’ Arthur Smith (Ryan Tannenhill) and the Bills’ Brian Daboll (Josh Allen) will be hot commodities for some teams with head coaching vacancies. “Arthur Smith could be a prominent name in the Eagles’ building because he resurrected Ryan Tannenhill,” an NFC executive said. “And to me, that’s how the Eagles think. They’re going to say, ‘OK, it’s going to be too tough to keep Wentz’s cap number and not have him here. Let’s try to resurrect him.’ [BLG Note: Wentz must also be coachable!]

Three numbers that matter for Week 14: Eagles vs. Saints - BGN
33.33% — that’s the rate at which quarterbacks have won their first career start over the last 10 seasons. They’re 34-68-1. That’s honestly not as bad as I expected. Of course, Hurts doesn’t have a 1 in 3 chance of winning the game — with +300 odds for the Eagles to win outright at most sportsbooks, the implied odds of an Eagles win are really 1 in 4, at 25%. That’s because, independent of the quarterback situation for both teams, we know that the Saints’ roster is a lot better than the Eagles’ roster, and they’re a better-coached team as well.

The Kist & Solak Show #214: Big Test for Hurts vs. Saints Buzzsaw - BGN Radio
Michael Kist & Benjamin Solak preview the Eagles upcoming tilt with the Saints!

Five Jalen Hurts over/unders for Eagles’ Week 14 matchup vs. Saints - PhillyVoice
Jalen Hurts passing yards: 175.5 [...] That certainly sounds like the Eagles are going to be a run-dependent team against the Saints. So, how much can we realistically expect Hurts to throw? Last week against the Packers, he threw just 12 times for 109 yards in a little less than a half of football, completing just five passes. And that was in a game in which the Eagles were trailing by multiple scores and in need of some big plays to get back into it. This week, he’ll be facing a Saints defense that’s ranked fourth in the league in passing yards allowed and fifth in net yards per passing attempt. That’s not exactly the kind of defense you want to face in your NFL debut. That being said, the Saints have allowed at least 185 passing yards in every game but one this season — their Week 12 win over a Broncos team that was without any of their quarterbacks. With a full week practicing with the starters and a full game to accumulate stats, I think Hurts gets closer to 200 yards on Sunday. It won’t be an all-out aerial assault — the Eagles don’t really have the weapons for that — but it will be enough to hit the over here. OVER.

Eagles’ defensive veterans like what they have seen so far from Jalen Hurts - NJ.com
Hargrave said that Hurts has shown a lot of confidence since joining the team and that the quarterback. In Hargrave’s opinion, he thinks Hurts possesses a rare quality that not everyone has. “I think he is a good person overall,” Hargrave said. “That’s not just talking about football. There are not a lot of good people in the world. That was my impression when I first met him. He’s a good people person.”

What people got wrong about Jalen Hurts in Roob’s 10 Observations - NBCSP
1. The thing that concerns me the most about Carson Wentz is the way his decision making and pocket presence deteriorated this year. I get that the O-line was bad. I get that the receivers were shaky. I get that Doug’s play-calling was lackluster. But there were numerous times guys were open and he just didn’t see them. There were numerous times protection was fine and he just stood there and got sacked. Now, maybe his consistently poor play was a product of everything going bad around him. So maybe he was just so far off because of all the sacks and dropped passes and big hits that when things did line up in his favor, he was just shell-shocked and unable to function. It’s possible. But why was he able to overcome it all at the end of last year under a similar set of circumstances — injuries, lack of talent around him, practice squad receivers? Why did his internal clock just stop working? How did he lose the ability to sense pressure and see the field? I think Wentz deserves every opportunity to bounce back from this, and I believe he’ll get that opportunity. But a big part of me wonders if he can.

4 thoughts (non QB-related) with Saints marching in - PE.com
Against New Orleans, the Eagles have a tough challenge against the many skills of running back Alvin Kamara and a quarterback in Taysom Hill who can run away from trouble. Hill, by the way, completed 11 of 13 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown on third down last week against Atlanta, so don’t think that he’s just a “run-around” quarterback. “It’s hard with Hill because he has those legs, and as a pass rusher when you’re getting ready for the Saints you’re like, ‘Oh, Drew Brees. He’s going to stand there and look downfield,’ and he’s not even looking to run unless he has to,” Jackson said. “This guy, you really have to watch your rushes. You’ve got to be more of … Aaron Rodgers-type of rushes where you’re really cautious of where people are going, where he’s going, where he is. I think that’s really the difference. As a pass rusher, it kind of sucks. You just want the guy to stand there. He provides you different problems and we’ve got to respect him.”

Fantasy Football Rundown, Week 14: Starts & sits for every NFL game - Fake Teams
With Carson Wentz riding the pine for the foreseeable future, rookie QB Jalen Hurts gets the first start of his career this week. A serious dual threat in college, Hurts has a chance to provide the coveted rushing upside that routinely wins fantasy weeks. His Week 13 passing left a lot to be desired though, completing just 5 of his 12 passes for 109 yards, a pick and a score. His rushing ability was on display though, adding 29 yards on 5 totes. Perhaps unsuprisingly, it was slot reciever Greg Ward who was on the receiving-end of Hurts’ touchdown pass. For fantasy purposes, only tight end Dallas Goedert can be started with relative confidence this week. Ward’s potential for safety blanket usage, running routes out of the slot against the opponent’s typically lesser cornerbacks could return flex value though. Regardless, outside of DFS lineups, none of the remaining Eagles’ receivers (Travis Fulgham, Alshon Jeffery, Jalen Reagor, etc. should be anywhere near a season-long lineup). New Orleans is playing some of the best defense in football. Hurts’ potential for rushing production elevates him to the back-end of the QB2s.

Eagles-Saints cheat sheet: Predictions, key matchups, lineup news and more - The Athletic
Berman: This will be a fascinating game to watch because Hurts will be an attraction. How different does the offense look? Does it look different at all? If the Eagles score into the 20s, what does that say about Wentz? There are so many dynamics at play. I’m expecting growing pains from Hurts against the Saints’ top-ranked defense, but I also think he can do damage with his legs. It won’t be enough, though, and I have a hard time believing the Eagles will stay with the Saints. It could be an ugly day for the Eagles offensive line against the Saints defensive line. I’m expecting Jenkins to make a statement in this game, too. Maybe the Eagles defense can force Hill into uncomfortable situations, although it hasn’t forced enough turnovers this season and it’s not consistent enough in the back end. The Eagles clinch a losing season. Saints 24, Eagles 17.

Is there an ulterior motive to the Eagles’ signing of Joe Bachie? - Canal Street Chronicles
Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Joe Bachie to their active roster. The undrafted rookie linebacker previously spent the first part of this season on the Saints practice squad. Practice squad players can not be signed to another team’s practice squad, but they can be signed to another’s active roster. As the Eagles are playing the Saints today, the timing of this transaction appears premeditated. This could be a calculated move by the Eagles to gain any knowledge of their next opponent. It’s unclear how much of the Saints’ playbook Bachie has memorized, but it certainly can’t hurt the Eagle’s chances of learning more about the Saints than they were able to via film study.

Week 14 Dallas Cowboys rooting guides: The Penei Sewell Bowl? - Blogging The Boys
The difference between most weeks and this one is the fact that the goals are as conflicting as they have been considering that the Cowboys are playing the Bengals. It appears as if the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars will wind up with the draft’s top two picks, but the loser of this game could be the real winner in the spring with the third pick over the fourth.

The 5 O’Clock Club: OverTheCap listed the 25 worst contracts in the NFL - what did they think of the NFC East? - Hogs Haven
For those keeping score at home, that’s two for the Giants, one for the Cowboys, and two for the Eagles, including the absolute worst contract in the league. None for the Washington Football Team, however. Raise your hand if you were expecting to see Alex Smith on this list. The issue with Smith’s contract was never really the structure, which was pretty typical of that given to an NFL starter; the issue was that he got injured. There’s no getting back the games and salary cap lost to Smith’s gruesome injury, but if we remove that (both the real cost of the contract and the opportunity cost of not being able to use that money for a different player) and simply look at where we are at the moment, I think you’ll see why the Smith contract isn’t on OTC’s list.

Giants fans continue to show rising confidence - Big Blue View
The confidence of New York Giants fans continues to rise. And why wouldn’t it? The Giants have won four straight games and are in first place in the NFC East. In our most recent ‘SB Nation Reacts’ fan confidence poll, an astounding 94 percent of voters expressed confidence in the team.

Steve Kornacki is going to make this the most fun NFL Playoff race ever - SB Nation
If there was an analytics MVP the landslide winner would be Steve Kornacki. The MSNBC political correspondent came in clutch during election season, breaking down the minutia of voting trends in obscure Pennsylvania counties with the rapidity of a blitzing linebacker. Now, he’s going to be gracing our screens for the rest of the year as part of NBC’s football coverage, and it’s a truly genius move. This week NBC Sports announced it would continue its experiment of putting Kornacki on the air to break down the playoff picture, and that he would become an addition to Football Night in America broadcasts for the remainder of the season.

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