The Philadelphia eagles and their “Quarterback Factory”

The Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback room has been the center of attention for the past six years. The Eagles thought they had their franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz, drafting him 2nd overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Wentz was going to start the season on the bench, before the Eagles dealt starting QB Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings. Wentz would then start all 16 games, leading the Eagles to a 7-9 record, pass for 3,782 yards, 16 TDs, and 14 interceptions. Wentz would then turn it up a notch in his sophomore season, passing for 3,296 yards, setting a franchise single-season record with 33 touchdowns and only throwing 7 interceptions. He was a frontrunner for the MVP award that season, until he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams.

While the Eagles were sitting atop the NFC with an 11-2 record, they thought all was lost. That was until their savior in Nick Foles came in and shocked the world. Foles would help clinch the number 1 seed and proceed to lead the Eagles through the playoffs, fueled by what experts can only describe as magic. In the playoffs, Foles had a 72.6 completion percentage, threw for 6 touchdowns, only one interception, and of course came out of Super Bowl LII victorious.

While the fans were celebrating their first ever Super Bowl win, the Eagles had a difficult decision on their hand. Do they go with the Super Bowl MVP, or MVP frontrunner QB? Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and the front office chose the latter. While Foles started the first two games of the 2017 season, Wentz was plugged right back into the starting lineup week 3 after fully recovering from his torn ACL. Sadly, Wentz didn’t necessarily pick up right where he left off, throwing for 3074 yards, 21 TDs, and 7 interceptions: all while leading the Eagles to a 6-7 record. Wentz’s season would then be cut short again, this time due to a stress fracture in his back. Deja vu started to kick in for Eagles fans as Nick Foles stepped in again, this time going 3-0 in the last three games of the regular season to help the Eagles clinch a wildcard spot. Foles would even lead the Eagles to a victory over the Chicago Bears in that infamous “Double-Doink” game. The Foles magic wouldn’t eventually run out, as they fell to the New Orleans Saints 20-14 in the NFC Divisional Round.

This offseason would be different, as the Eagles made it clear that Carson Wentz is their quarterback of the future, by allowing Nick Foles to leave in free agency and signing Wentz to a four-year extension worth $128 million. Despite people saying that the Eagles made the wrong decision, Wentz proved the haters wrong by leading the Eagles to a 9-7 record and sending them to their 3rd straight playoffs. He would do so by throwing for 4,039 yards, 27 TDs, and 7 interceptions. Philadelphia would face the Seattle Seahawks in the first round, and this would be Wentz’s first-ever playoff start. Sadly, the injury bug struck again, as he would get taken out just a few plays into the game, due to a concussion. 40-year-old Josh McCown would step in and put up a fight, but the Eagles would sadly fall to the Seahawks 17-9.

Despite another injury by Wentz, hopes were high going into the 2020 offseason. Wentz proved that he could lead the team to the playoffs, all he needs are weapons around him. The Eagles did that, by trading for Marquise Goodwin, and drafting three speedsters in Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins. They also made possibly the most questionable pick in the entire draft, by selecting QB Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick. Analysts and fans all over the country scratched their heads, “Why would they draft a quarterback when they already have one in Carson Wentz?” Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman answered that question in a press conference following the second round.

“For better or worse, we are quarterback developers," Roseman said. "We want to be a quarterback factory. We have the right people in place to do that. No team in the National Football League has benefitted more from developing quarterbacks than the Philadelphia Eagles.

While it was a confusing pick for sure, Howie Roseman might be a clairvoyant, as Wentz saw a drastic decline in his play. Through the first 12 weeks of the season, Wentz had only thrown for 2,620 yards, 16 TDs, 15 interceptions, and was sitting at a whopping 41.9 QBR. To top it off, Wentz was also sacked 50 times and fumbled the ball 10 times. Due to his play, and a rookie QB in Hurts on the bench, HC Doug Pederson pulled Wentz in the third quarter of their game against the Green Bay Packers. Hurts played well enough to become the starting QB for the rest of the season. With this move, is the Wentz era officially over in Philadelphia?

There were many rumors swirling around: whether Pederson’s and Wentz’s relationship was tarnished beyond repair, whether Wentz’s attitude around drafting Hurts was the problem, whether Owner Jeffery Lurie had a problem with Wentz. All these questions were seemingly answered with the subsequent moves that followed. The first was the firing of Doug Pederson. Jeffery Lurie said that Pederson’s vision for the future was different than the organization’s. It seemed like with this firing, there would be a better chance of Wentz returning. Those rumors were wrong, Wentz had no intention of playing for the Eagles anymore and the team was forced to trade him. The Indianapolis Colts became the new home for Carson Wentz as they dealt a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick to get him. After this move, the team announced that Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback for the 2021 season.

In his first full season under center, Hurts exceeded expectations. Hurts threw for 3,144 yards, 16 TDs, with 9 interceptions. He was also a force on the ground, as he ran for 784 yards and ran in 10 touchdowns. With his performance, he helped clinch a wildcard spot with a record of 9-7. Sadly, the Eagles would then fall to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-15.

Now you would think that the Eagles have found their new quarterback of the future, but you would be very wrong. The Eagles aren’t as confident in Hurts as you would think, they are not sure that he can develop enough as a passer to become one of the top QBs in the league (I thought you were quarterback developers). So now, there are rumors that the Eagles are in the market for a veteran quarterback (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson). If the Eagles are looking for a proven gunslinger, this is possibly the best year to do so. There have also been talks of them drafting a quarterback in the upcoming draft. There are many names on the board this year (Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Matt Corral), it is a matter of whether one stands out.

So now, all we can do is wait and see whether the Philadelphia Eagles bring in another quarterback to their quarterback factory.

The Philadelphia eagles and their “Quarterback Factory”

“For better or worse, we are quarterback developers," Roseman said. "We want to be a quarterback factory. We have the right people in place to do that. No team in the National Football League has benefitted more from developing quarterbacks than the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keeping Up With the Joneses

Most Likely Trade Destinations for Jimmy Garoppolo