Report: Carson Wentz is “on a very short leash”

Carson Wentz is “on a very short leash” when it comes to maintaining his status as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback, according to a report from Jay Glazer. The NFL insider had the following to say on a Fox NFL Sunday pregame report.

CURT MENEFEE: Everyone’s been wondering just why Carson Wentz has been struggling so much. It’s gotten to the people where people are wondering would we actually see rookie Jalen Hurts take over?

GLAZER: Yeah, I think he’s on a very short leash. And, actually, when you talk to everybody inside the Eagles — I’ve talked with players and coaches and asked the same thing: what’s going on with them? They said, ‘We’re trying to figure out the same thing. We think he’s lost his confidence.’ I said, ‘Does it have to do with Jalen Hurts?’ They said, ‘Even though he says no, yes, we see that being the issue.’ You look at the other side [of today’s game], Aaron Rodgers, when they [the Packers] took Jordan Love, he looked at it as a challenge. Instead, this is affecting Carson’s confidence.

Some things to unpack here.

• It comes as no surprise that Wentz is in jeopardy of being benched considering how he’s arguably been the worst starting quarterback in the NFL this year. Jeffrey Lurie reportedly reminded Doug Pederson that he has the authority to bench Wentz and Hurts has been taking more first team work in practice.
• With that said, the Eagles have had ample opportunities to bench Wentz by now and they haven’t. That doesn't mean it won’t happen moving forward. But it’s hard to know exactly what a “very short leash” means when he’s already played very poorly and that hasn’t been enough for him to be replaced.
• Benching Wentz doesn’t have to mean he’s never starting for the Eagles ever again. We all know his contract essentially guarantees he’ll be back in 2021. Sitting him down shouldn’t be this unthinkable action. He’s clearly not getting any better by playing through his struggles.
• The Eagles also need to bench Wentz to gather information on 1) how much he’s truly to blame for the current offensive struggles and 2) Hurts’ potential as an NFL quarterback.
• Important to highlight here how internal sources believe the Hurts pick is impacting Wentz’s confidence. Gee, who could’ve seen that coming! On one hand, there’s a problem if Wentz can’t adequately handle potential competition. On the other hand, how about maybe DON’T make a wasteful draft pick that contributes to shredding your franchise quarterback’s confidence?