Carson Wentz addressed the media on Monday afternoon and he gave off an aura of confidence that suggests Jalen Hurts really is the least of his worries.
Wentz spoke about fatherhood, his NFC Wild Card concussion, and the elephant in the room, the second-round pick, Jalen Hurts.
Wentz did his best to calm a quarterback controversy while sounding like a guy who is on the same page with Eagles brass from the top to the bottom.
With Wentz finally breaking his silence, here are five takeaways from the video call.
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1. Wentz is supremely confident
Wentz sounded like a guy who is building his family, firmly entrenched as a franchise quarterback, and relieved from the burden of not playing a full regular season since suffering his torn ACL.
Wentz said all the right things in terms of not being concerned about Jalen Hurts and trusting Eagles brass to put him and the team in the best position to succeed.
2. Hurts will play a Taysom Hill style role
Wentz wouldn’t go into detail about what a shared backfield with Hurts would look like, but he insinuated that Doug Pederson will be cooking some things up.
“We’ll see how that all plays out. We haven’t gotten too deep into the playbook.”
Hurts will need time to develop as a quarterback but he’s expected to make an immediate impact as a package player during his rookie season.
Standing 6-foot-1, 222-pounds, Hurts has a specific skill set that will translate well in the red zone, RPO’s, and other scenarios similar to New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill.
Opposing defenses will have to gameplan for and account for Hurts on a weekly basis.
3. Wentz should be even better in 2020
While some quarterbacks shy away from competition, Wentz eats it for breakfast, the main reason Sam Bradford was traded and the former North Dakota State star was pushed into the lineup as a rookie.
Wentz said all the right things on Monday, specifically that he’s not concerned about Hurts’ arrival and it won’t make him any more motivated than he already was.
Wentz said he’s a competitor and wants to be on the field, but he has confidence the coaches will put them in the best position to win.
Look for him to take the next steps as a passer and improve on his career-best numbers from last season.
4. Everyone can relax
Wentz stated that he’s willing to adjust the way he operates in order to help the team be successful.
That alone means the Eagles are being transparent, allowing fans to truly trust the person.
Wentz went on to state that the team showed their investment in him last year, and by signing the deal, Wentz showed his trust in Howie Roseman and management.
Wentz says he’s just focused now on strengthening the position and group that they have.
5. Eagles will be very explosive on offense
Wentz didn’t hide his excitement to work and play with guys like Jalen Reagor, Marquise Goodwin, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins.
Wentz applauded the Eagles adding speed and explosiveness, and he’s excited to be able to get creative to get those guys involved.
“It’s going to be tough,” Wentz noted about the limited offseason. He said that the second they added these new pieces for the offense, he wanted to get to work.
With Miles Sanders, DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery set to return along with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, this Eagles offense will be very scary top to bottom.
