For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles are having to rely on Nick Foles instead of Carson Wentz as they pursue the Lombardi Trophy. And in his first game back starting under center in Doug Pederson’s offense, Foles delivered a win.
Due to Wentz’s seeming propensity to get injured — he’s missed time due to injury the past four years going back to college — some have wondered about whether the Eagles really should be all-in on the young quarterback. They wonder if the Eagles might be better off with Foles, who seems to have the ability to get the most out of Pederson’s offense.
One person who isn’t wondering about any of this is Pederson himself, who came to Wentz’s defense Friday morning with a definitive statement of support.
“I can stand here and say Carson’s our quarterback. He’s our quarterback of the future. That’s why we drafted him.” — Doug Pederson says they reassure Wentz about his standing with the #Eagles franchise
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) December 21, 2018
When healthy, Wentz has been tremendous for the Eagles. In 40 career games, he’s tallied 10,172 yards passing with 70 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He’s completed 63.7 percent of his passes. He’s also led the Eagles to a 23-17 record as a starter and was a legitimate MVP candidate last season before tearing his ACL.
Needless to say, it’s not hard to understand why the Eagles want to believe he’s the long-term answer at the most important position in this league. Whether his body can deliver on this promise over the course of the next few years remains to be seen.