Pederson gives his poor-shooting quarterback a verbal assist

PHILADELPHIA » If you’re tired of hearing quarterback Carson Wentz say he’s confident and unwavering through the Eagles’ winless start you might like the way Doug Pederson had his back Wednesday.

Pederson was asked why Wentz, tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions, is missing on so many easy throws. The head coach momentarily switched sports in going to Wentz’s defense.

“They’re not layups,” Pederson said. “There isn’t a throw out here that’s a layup. Some of it is just timing with young guys. Some of it is just Carson just being not accurate at that particular time. Could be that there is a defensive guy that flashed a hand where he’s got to change his arm angle at the split second. There are all kinds of reasons for accuracy. These are things that we continue to work on and will continue to work on the entire season.”

That’s what losing does to coaches like Pederson, who not only is 0-2 but has a team with the worst negative point differential in the league at minus-28, just like the New York Jets.

The offensive line has been decimated with injuries, first-round draft pick Jalen Reagor needs thumb surgery, defensive tackles Malik Jackson and Javon Hargrave aren’t playing up to their mega-bucks contracts and the quarterback the Eagles mortgaged their future for, the guy who’s supposed to give them a chance to win on any given Sunday is not only off to the worst start in his career, but one of the worst in the NFL.

The Eagles are an NFLhigh minus-five in turnover ratio thanks to five turnovers by Wentz, the fifth a fumble.

His 06.02 average yards per pass attempt is better than only Joe Burrow (5.25) of the Cincinnati Bengals, who the Eagles entertain Sunday, and Sam Darnold (5.88) of the hapless Jets.

Among qualifying quarterbacks, only Teddy Bridgewater of the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton of the New England Patriots have thrown fewer TD passes than Wentz, who has connected with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Newton has four rushing TDs.

Wentz has had five passes dropped, seven broken up and a whopping 19 poor throws according to Stats LLC. The latter figure accounts for 22.4 percent of his attempts.

Call them short throws, call them layups. Something is disturbing Wentz. He’s not rolling out like he used to. He can’t outrun opponents when he gets outside the pocket. He insists there’s nothing to worry about.

Reagor out 6 weeks

Eagles first-round pick Jalen Reagor has suffered a complex ligament tear in his thumb that necessitates surgery. The ulnar collateral ligament tear is identical to one that sidelined Saints quarterback Drew Brees for six weeks last season.

Reagor is expected to go on injured reserve. He played through pain Sunday and caught four passes for 41 yards, playing 60 of 71 snaps in the 37-19 loss to the Rams.

The UCL is the place where the thumb intersects the hand. A UCL tear makes it difficult to grip and pinch. The Eagles speculated Wednesday that Reagor would have a timetable for return similar to Brees.

Reagor stretched the field in the opener for the Eagles with a 55-yard reception.