Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner Chime in on Carson Wentz Situation

Warner says there are things that Wentz needs to fix, even after 5 years in the league, while Mariucci wonders what happens if the Eagles move forward with a QB competition

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles appear headed for a full-blown quarterback competition this summer between Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts.

You can debate the merits of that plan but count Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner and former San Francisco and Detroit coach Steve Mariucci among those who believe new Eagles coach Nick Sirianni will inherit two capable options if the status quo remains in place.

The two NFL Network analysts spoke at a media availability session in advance of Super Bowl LV in Tampa on Sunday.

“It’s fascinating," said Warner, a Super Bowl champion with the then-St. Louis Rams, of the potential QB controversy. "You’ve got a guy in Carson Wentz that has played at an MVP level but obviously was nowhere close to that last year. You have to sit back and wonder what’s broken and how can he fix it?

"Then you have a guy in Jalen Hurts that came in and did some really good things and showed you that he could win and be a playmaker at this level."

From a 10,000-foot view, Warner believes the Eagles are taking on the stance that Wentz's struggles in 2020 were a bit of a hiccup and the veteran will have the inside track on regaining the job.

“I fully would not be surprised if this thing becomes a competition, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Carson Wentz became the starter again in Philly If they can clean him up and get him back to what he’s been at other times in his career,” Warner assessed.

Cleaning him up, though, is the problem.

Known as a great pocket passer with top-tier mechanics, Warner admitted that Wentz's fundamentals continue to need work even as he prepares to enter a sixth professional season when many of those types of issues should have been cleared up by now.

"I think there are some deficiencies in different areas," said Warner. "I've kind of documented a little bit on certain things over the last couple of years that there are some technique deficiencies that I think really hurt him and hurt his consistency as a thrower.

"You know, I think there are some deficiencies in what he's seeing on the field, where his eyes are going."

Mariucci, meanwhile, noted that a fresh start might be the best thing for Wentz, using Ryan Tannehill's successful move from Miami to Tennessee as a template.

“I thought it would be good for Carson Wentz to get a new start someplace else like Ryan Tannehill did and just go to another team and start over without looking over his shoulder and all of that," the former coach said.

Mariucci also offered up a bit of a cautionary tale when it comes to the thought of having two capable signal-callers.

"What did John Madden say? When you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one," Mariucci said. “I don’t know about all that, but I think they’re both good enough to start."

The issues, according to Mariucci, lie elsewhere.

"I would hate to see that team go back and forth and have controversy and a split locker room and all of that next year," he said. "It just would be difficult for them.

"If (Wentz) has a bad game or two, man, he's going to be like, 'Whoa, I'm out' and that's unfortunate for them."

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.