The Philadelphia Eagles are set to begin OTAs on Tuesday and, with that, the quarterback situation now comes to a head. The talk and speculation is over. The results and performance on the field will decide this once and for all.
The Eagles quarterback situation is a novel that is still writing itself. There was the hiring of the former, career-long backup as head coach from the previous long-term head coach. There was the idea that the hiring of Doug Pederson and the subsequent hirings of Frank Reich and John DeFilippo implied developing a quarterback prospect. Then there was the re-signing of Sam Bradford to a two-year deal and the signing of Chase Daniel to a three-year deal that seemed to squash the idea. But then Howie Roseman made the trade, the move that sent the Eagles from pick No. 13 to No. 8 to No. 2 and helped them land Carson Wentz.
In between the week leading up to Wentz's selection and the first day on the field at OTAs on Tuesday was the entire saga of Bradford and Pederson and Roseman and Wentz, the trade request, the holdout and the sort of making up as Bradford arrived for voluntary workouts at long last.
So now, as the quarterback discussion turns to the field. It is widely believed that Wentz is taking his rookie year for development away from the field with Bradford as the stop gap, but then again, stranger things have happened and Wentz could see the field as a starter sooner rather than later. But how much sooner? Could it be as soon as Week 1?
The belief that Wentz is going to be molded comes from his general inexperience at the level of competition. Coming from an FCS school, Wentz didn't get the high-end competition that so many talk about on a daily basis. Instead, he floated around Division I football as essentially an unknown outside of Bismarck and Fargo before emerging as a top quarterback prospect with a second straight national championship win as a starter and a Senior Bowl appearance that got scouts talking.
But then Bradford's behavior over such a deal brought into question so much more about the current starting quarterback, the stopgap until Wentz is ready. With health questions already surrounding him every time he touches the field, Bradford and agent Tom Condon showed a sense of entitlement to riches when the resume wasn't nearly rich enough. He still got the riches, but didn't feel rewarded or valued. That set off the holdout and trade request.
There weren't any takers for a quarterback that doesn't even have a playoff game on his resume but makes $18 million a year. Shocking, I know.
So if a fairly strong second half of the season in 2015 with the Eagles wasn't enough to open some eyes, then that is what 2016 has to be for Bradford, a chance to prove that he is capable of starting in some team's future, even if that team isn't the one paying him now.
Now to Wentz, who certainly comes into the NFL with a lot to prove himself. That's never bothered him before, which is why he is as much an option for the Eagles this season as Bradford is.
From Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrer:
Don’t debit Wentz because he played in the Missouri Valley Football Conference—he’s more NFL-ready than you may think. He has great mobility, the size to run QB power like Cam Newton and a full read palette that belies his small-school history. The Eagles got the second quarterback in this draft class, but in the end, they may well have selected the better one overall. Think Ben Roethlisberger as a long-term comparison."
If you talk to Wentz and study him closely, you’ll have a very difficult time envisioning him learning from the bench as a rookie. There’d be no point in sitting the 23-year-old. As Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock, Greg Cosell and countless others inside the NFL have said: This is the most pro-ready QB to enter the league since Andrew Luck. Keep in mind, Bradford has been a middling NFL quarterback and will be learning a mostly new system just like Wentz will. This will begin as an inherently equal QB competition. And all ties would go to the youngster."
From NFL Network's Mike Mayock:
At the Senior Bowl, he was the best player there. Combine was outstanding. The Pro Day really sold me on the kid based on the respect he earned from his coaches and teammates. The intangibles. He's always been my No. 1 quarterback since back in the fall. He's crossed off every check mark since. I still believe Wentz and Goff are on par or better than last year's Mariota and Winston and obviously two teams believe it as well, if they were able to give up what it took to trade up to get those guys."
ESPN's Jon Gruden called him the most NFL-ready quarterback the league has had in years. Mayock believes that Wentz needs the year off the field to learn from a veteran starter, but also said Wentz was a better prospect that Bradford was when he was selected No. 1 overall in 2010.
So if the Eagles have a guy that's this NFL-ready, and we're about to find out how close he really is, why not throw his name into the starter's discussion? This is what the Eagles made the move for in the first place, to get their future starter, the future face of their franchise. While it's still too soon to tell what they have and how this will play out for the Eagles, that is as much in Wentz's hands as anyone else's.
It is that reason that Wentz could certainly be starting come Week 1. In the weeks leading up to the Draft, we've heard and read the words from the quarterback himself about his work ethic, his drive, his determination and how he is prepared to face the challenge of transitioning to the NFL head-on.
The time has come. It is only Day 1 of camp and there may be months or even a year before Wentz makes his first start. Or, on May 17, we could be just a few weeks away from the beginning of the Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia football.
The journey begins now for Wentz and the Eagles, but the path to the new era at quarterback could be a lot closer than most think.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
