Carson Wentz Thoughts, Plus a Look at Eagles and Free Agency
Desperate times call for desperate measures, like the Washington Commanders trading for Carson Wentz on Wednesday.
If it didn’t work in Indianapolis, surrounded by some coaching pals, including Frank Reich, not sure why the Commanders think they can make it work.
Wentz has become the very definition of a journeyman. He is on his third team in 13 months.
Washington needs a quarterback, though. They saw what Taylor Heinicke can do, or not do. They tried the ancient Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the 39-year-old survived one game before an injury parked him in rehab the rest of the season.
The market was thinned when Russell Wilson decided Denver would be the best city for him to play in, so, even though the Commanders offered a package similar to the one the Seahawks ultimately received, it was the Broncos who won his services.
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Desperate, they threw some third-round picks to Indianapolis, one of which will likely become a second-rounder based on playtime requirements. For Wentz, whose numbers always look good, but whose leadership style and refusal to abandon a reckless style of play are too difficult to overlook.
Washington will find out soon enough what Eagles fans and now Colts fans already know – he leaves plenty to be desired in many categories a quarterback needs to check to be successful.
Remember, Wentz has never won a playoff game. He only played in less than a quarter of a playoff game as well after being knocked from the game with a concussion in the 2019 playoffs against Seattle.
The Athletic’s Zak Keefer wrote a sourced story shortly after the trade went down that said, in part, “the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began…and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play which had a role in several close losses this year.”
A stinging indictment, but one Eagles fans are too familiar with over Wentz's final couple of years in Philadelphia.
At least now Eagles fans will see him twice a year in the NFC East. Not that many of them miss him.
The Wentz trade was one move in a very busy week as the countdown to the new league year – and the start of free agency – begins on March 16.
Some moves you may have missed that pertain to the Eagles:
- Pass-rusher Harold Landry re-signed with the Titans, getting a reported five-year deal worth $87.5 million, $52.5M of which is guaranteed. The Eagled would like to add a defensive linemen in free agency. Though Landry is a linebacker, he is a pass rusher, and Philly could use one of those, too, before heading to the draft.
- Receivers Mike Williams and Chis Godwin and safety Jessie Bates were hit with franchise tags. They likely would have drawn some interest from the Eagles, who would like to add a veteran pass-catcher and need safeties.
- Linebackers Jordan Hicks and Bobby Wagner were cut loose from the Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively.
Wagner will be 32 in June, but he has missed just three games since 2015. He’s a workhorse who will likely command more than a one-year deal.
As for Hicks, he was a health hazard during his four years in Philadelphia after arriving as a third-round pick in 2015. He missed 22 games in that span, playing all 16 only once. He went to Arizona and stayed healthy for three seasons there, playing all 49 games.
As for who the Eagles are believed to be romancing and ready to pounce when free agency begins:
- Safety Justin Reid is in that sweet spot of 25 to 27-years old, the age the Eagles like to hand out big money, too. Reid, a third-round pick of the Texans out of Stanford in 2018, just turned 25 in February and could cash in big. He has seven interceptions and 315 tackles in four years.
- Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The TikTok star had shoulder surgery early in the season and played just five games last year, but he, too, is 25.
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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
