If there’s one thing we can say about Doug Pederson so far, it’s that he has never wavered in his decision at the quarterback position.
Sam Bradford is the No. 1. Carson Wentz is here, first and foremost, to learn.
That stance remained true one week before the Eagles open training camp.
"Typically, the third quarterback is down. And it’s hard right now, I think, to look down the road. But if we had to play this week, Carson would be down," Pederson said. "He’d be the third quarterback, he’d be deactivated. That’s probably the direction we’re heading, barring injury, and you know how the game is."
To some, Wentz being the second overall pick would indicate that he should, at least, get a chance to play at times in his rookie season. So why is Pederson so set on Bradford and Chase Daniel seeing the bulk of the action?
"I think the reasoning is the fact that I wanted Sam on this roster, even way back when I was hired." Pederson said. "And one of the first things I did was evaluate his game last year and really liked what I saw. All intentions were, and are, that he comes in being the No. 1, being the starter. My feelings haven’t changed there whatsoever."
For Wentz, the path that is set is perfect for him. The rookie gets to learn from Bradford and Daniel with no pressure.
The one thing Wentz doesn’t need in the early stages of his career is the pressure of being the savior of the franchise. If the Eagles were to turn to Wentz immediately, the expectations would only rise as the season progressed.
Wentz was brought here to be the quarterback of the future, but the future is not Week 1 of the 2016 season. To Doug Pederson, the future isn’t even the 2016 season. It’s the years to come.
In the meantime, the Eagles give Bradford one more chance to be the starting quarterback, again, with no huge expectations. The Eagles are not a Super Bowl contender. They won’t be this season, next season and probably the season after.
So if starting Bradford in 2016 puts the Eagles back into the playoffs, it’s a bonus. If it doesn’t, the evaluation process will take place over the offseason to determine whether or not the time has come to give Wentz his shot.
It’s important to remember the reason the Eagles made the move to acquire Wentz. The Eagles wanted to get their quarterback of the future in place now, with Bradford still around, so they could mold him.
Wentz is here to learn from more than just Bradford and Daniel what it means to be in the National Football League. Wentz is here to also get an understanding of Pederson’s systems, work on fundamentals and get a comfort level around the professional game.
In the same sense, the timeline could speed up for Wentz if he does get a chance this season. In the event that Bradford and Daniel go down with injury and Wentz comes in and runs with the chance to play and possibly even start, the job could be his for good.
But assuming everything goes as planned, health-wise at least, for the Eagles, Wentz will spend the season learning and growing as a professional while the Eagles turn to Bradford and Daniel for any instant results that could come under Pederson.
Kevin Durso is an editor for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
