I see that Doug Pederson is reiterating that the plan is for Carson Wentz to sit and learn this year. Wentz will be Philadelphia’s No. 3 quarterback, Pederson says, and that player isn’t typically active for games.
Sounds fair enough. Pederson was with the Eagles as a player when they took a similar approach with Donovan McNabb in 1999. Presumably he sees some wisdom and bringing along a quarterback slowly and carefully.
The Eagles gave Sam Bradford a big contract in the offseason. He’s been plagued by injuries throughout his career, but they also brought in Chase Daniel, giving him a surprisingly large contract (3 years, $21 million). So this could be a situation where Pederson’s not just blowing smoke. Maybe Wentz starts a game or two late in the year, but it’s possible he doesn’t play at all.
If it plays out that way, it will go against the usual outcome in this kind of situation. Since 2000, 24 quarterbacks have been selected with top-10 picks. Only four of those quarterbacks failed to attempt at least 100 passes in their first season. JaMarcus Russell held out until well into the regular season, falling hopelessly behind, while Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers and Jake Locker were clipboard guys.
TOP-10 QUARTERBACKS SINCE 2000 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Comp | Att | Pct | TD | Int |
2001 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 50 | 113 | 44% | 2 | 3 |
2002 | David Carr, Hou. | 233 | 444 | 52% | 9 | 15 |
2002 | Joey Harrington, Det. | 215 | 429 | 50% | 12 | 16 |
2003 | Byron Leftwich, Jac. | 239 | 418 | 57% | 14 | 16 |
2003 | Carson Palmer, Cin. | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 0 |
2004 | Eli Manning, S.D. | 95 | 197 | 48% | 6 | 9 |
2004 | Philip Rivers, NYG | 5 | 8 | 63% | 1 | 0 |
2005 | Alex Smith, S.F. | 84 | 165 | 51% | 1 | 11 |
2006 | Matt Leinart, Ariz. | 214 | 377 | 57% | 11 | 12 |
2006 | Vince Young, Tenn. | 184 | 357 | 52% | 12 | 13 |
2007 | JaMarcus Russell, Oak. | 36 | 66 | 55% | 2 | 4 |
2008 | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 265 | 434 | 61% | 16 | 11 |
2009 | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 201 | 377 | 53% | 13 | 20 |
2009 | Mark Sanchez, NYJ | 196 | 364 | 54% | 12 | 20 |
2010 | Sam Bradford, St.L. | 354 | 590 | 60% | 18 | 15 |
2011 | Cam Newton, Car. | 310 | 517 | 60% | 21 | 17 |
2011 | Blaine Gabbert, Jac. | 210 | 413 | 51% | 12 | 11 |
2011 | Jake Locker, Tenn. | 34 | 66 | 52% | 4 | 0 |
2012 | Andrew Luck, Ind. | 339 | 627 | 54% | 23 | 18 |
2012 | Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 282 | 484 | 58% | 12 | 13 |
2012 | Robert Griffin III, Wash. | 258 | 393 | 66% | 20 | 5 |
2014 | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 280 | 475 | 59% | 11 | 17 |
2015 | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 312 | 535 | 58% | 22 | 15 |
2015 | Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 230 | 370 | 62% | 19 | 10 |
2016 | • JARED GOFF, L.A. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
2016 | • CARSON WENTZ, Phil. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan