Gary Sheffield, Jr
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The Philadelphia Eagles have hired former Colts OC Nick Sirianni to be their next head coach, but the hiring has in some ways brought more questions than answers.
Does this hiring mean Philly’s front office believes Carson Wentz can be fixed? If so, then what happens to Jalen Hurts? It’s a train wreck in Philadelphia, so let’s discuss.
From @gmfb: Making sense of the #Eagles hire of #Colts OC Nick Sirianni. pic.twitter.com/oo8QkIVQxl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2021
CBS’ Pete Prisco spoke briefly on air about the hiring of Nick Sirianni, and it helps us understand the Philly quarterback situation:
“I think it’s a good hire. This is a bright young offensive mind.”@PriscoCBS is a big fan of the Eagles new hire, Nick Sirianni. pic.twitter.com/xEqHWu39ZS
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 21, 2021
Prisco essentially said that Sirianni is a “great offensive mind,” which could indicate they want to continue working with Carson Wentz. The former Eagles starter signed a four-year, $128 million extension in 2019, so “fixing him” should be the plan. If the Eagles don’t believe that their latest hire can unleash vintage Wentz, then the trade block should have Carson’s name all over it.
Should the Eagles let Wentz play periodically until he finally figures it out? Well, they’d probably like that, but a horrendously undeserved contract extension makes that plan impossible.
So that leads us to Jalen Hurts
Hurts was clearly the better quarterback in 2020. Philly’s offensive line is older than Betty White and honestly couldn’t stay on the field to help the pocket quarterback that Carson Wentz now is. He had that physical ability in his bag a couple years ago, but injuries have pulled back his knack for evading a pass rush.
They throw Jalen Hurts in the game, and suddenly that O-line doesn’t look as bad. That receiving corps that couldn’t catch COVID if it fell in their breadbasket could get open in the blink of an eye. It was strange to watch how much better the Eagles looked with Carson Wentz on the sidelines.
So now, chances are that Carson Wentz is going to be named the Eagles’ starting quarterback, and Operation Save This Poor Contract Investment will be full steam ahead.
Nick Sirianni saw Carson Wentz do this to his team. pic.twitter.com/BHk1xqXEgz
— Philly Nation (@Philly__Nation) January 21, 2021
Super back-up
Jalen Hurts is unfortunately headed towards a demotion that had nothing to do with his play. Carson Wentz is being handled like a unionized employee who’s overstayed his welcome.
Does this lead to a trade demand from the Hurts camp? We’ll have to wait and see how “creative” coach Nick Sirianni really is.
The Eagles should get rid of Hurts to either get draft picks or add young talent. Salary cap is a mess and team needs to get younger. Having one of your good young players on a rookie contract on the bench does not help team with Wentz on the roster.
I hope they trade Wentz to Indy and start Hurts. They could convert all or some of his salary to a signing bonus and trade him to help the cap.
Before we throw Wentz on the trash heap, why don’t we try putting an actual offensive line in front of him and get him some receivers that actually play more than once in a blue moon.
Jalen Hurts is not the answer to anyone’s offensive problems. This is the guy that got beat out by Tua at Alabama because he couldn’t throw an accurate ball more than 10 yards down field. A QB that can run might make a bad team (like the Eagles) look mediocre, but he has to be able to throw the ball too to make a good team great.