WENTZ’S TEAM
And the former No. 2 overall pick has something to prove
In the wake of Sunday’s season-ending 20-14 NFC divisional playoff loss to the Saints, given that Nick Foles is about to turn 30 and his desire to be a starting quarterback again, the Eagles are becoming Carson Wentz’s team again.
Yes, Foles insisted “everything’s open” going forward during Monday’s locker cleanout day at the NovaCare Complex. Wentz spent the last two postseasons injured and watched Foles run the Birds’ offense, earning Super Bowl MVP honors a year ago and going 4-1 as a starter to finish this season.
While all of that is true, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which Foles returns.
Wentz just turned 26 and the Eagles traded up to get him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He represents the franchise’s future.
Wentz is eligible for a big contract extension that he declined to discuss Monday. It’s not realistic to pay, say, $35 million for two QBs next season in the salary cap era.
In his first interview since Dec. 5, Wentz said he’d be fine if Foles is an Eagles again.
“I’m confident the team’s going to do what’s best for the team,” Wentz said. “I’m going to support that. I love Nick. I love that we’re like brothers — me, Nick and Nate [Sudfeld]. Whatever happens is meant to happen. I think we’re all going to be successful in our own right.”
Wentz has been sidelined since he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back following a Dec. 9 overtime loss to the Cowboys. While he at times may have thought he could’ve continued playing, Wentz realized the increased risk of further injury prevented it from happening.
In the wake of the torn knee ligaments he suffered in December 2017, Wentz has heard that some folks consider him injuryprone.
“My goal is to put those doubts to rest,” Wentz said. “I still have zero games of postsea-
son football under my belt. I realize I have a lot to prove in that regard, but I'm confident I will get a chance to do that.”
Though he is a man of faith, Wentz admitted he has his moments of doubt.
“Sometimes I sit and wonder why it happened again,” he said.
Wentz also acknowledged Foles' success could put more pressure on him at the start of the 2019 campaign.
“Right now, my focus is on getting my body right and to play this game freely like I did last year before the injury — just cut it loose, get rid of all that pressure and anxiety or whatever it may be,” he said.
While he thought he played freely at times this year, major knee injuries tend to take more than nine to 12 months to return to 100 percent. Wentz, who wore a knee brace, didn't scramble as much as he did last season, which at times may have been a good thing, but it subtracted a significant element of what made him an MVP candidate in ‘17 from opposing defenses' lists of concerns.
There is a happy medium he has to find, but it's reasonable to think he'll be quicker at the start of next season, 21 months after he injured the knee.
“Any time you're coming back from injuries, it adds another element, but by no means would I use that as an excuse, either,” Wentz said.
He also wouldn't blame his back, which had been bothering to some degree since earlier in the season, for poor throws or subpar performances.
While Wentz's completion percentage increased from 60.2 last year to 69.6 this season, his touchdown passes decreased from 33 to 21 and his yards per completion dropped from 12.4 to 11.
Though there's no timetable for when the back will be 100 percent, he hopes to be ready for spring minicamps.
And if he never gets to play another game on the same team as Foles, Wentz will always owe Foles a debt of gratitude.
“I learned a lot from watching Nick play and the type of player he was, and just seeing the postseason success last year and now this year,” Wentz said.
“[I tried to help Foles with] the same things he would do to help me when I was playing. We're here to support each other. We realize this is a tough position. There's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders.”
Before long, it'll all be back on Wentz.