ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky is OK about being wrong on Carson Wentz

Orlovsky looks back on his analysis of both Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts and his Philly path to ESPN.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky on the set of "First Take" in Scottsdale, Ariz., ahead of Super Bowl LVIIRead moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Published Feb. 10, 2023, 3:47 p.m. ET

PHOENIX — If there’s one thing ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has learned as a broadcaster, it’s that sometimes his opinions are going to be wrong.

Take Carson Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Wentz seemed destined to become the Eagles’ next great franchise quarterback, especially after his MVP-level performance during his injury-shortened 2017 season helped the Birds win their first Super Bowl.

Showing up on ESPN shows like Get Up and First Take, Orlovsky defended the former North Dakota slinger during his tenure in Philadelphia, even after his results waned, injuries piled up, and Wentz was eventually benched in favor of the Eagles’ current starter, Jalen Hurts.

“If the Eagles could go back right now and redo that decision, I’m 100% convinced that they would not have taken Jalen Hurts,” Orlovsky said on Get Up in July 2021. “If Jalen Hurts plays as well as he can, he can’t sniff as good as Carson Wentz is.”

Obviously, we know what happened next. Wentz hasn’t found success with either the Indianapolis Colts or Washington Commanders, and Hurts is about to start in the Super Bowl in his second year as the Eagles’ starting quarterback.

So what happened?

“I always thought talent-wise, Carson was great. I think the thing that happened with Carson was a lot of the stuff an analyst can’t see — the locker room, the off-the-field stuff,” Orlovsky told The Inquirer leading up to Super Bowl LVII. “I thought Carson had a chance to be a tremendous player, and he just mentally wasn’t capable of matching the physical talent.”

From Orlovsky’s perspective, getting opinions wrong is just part of the job. To him, there’s a difference between analyzing a player’s abilities, and forming an opinion based on that analysis. One is analytical, the other is subjective.

Orlovsky said being wrong about Wentz or anyone else doesn’t change how he goes about his job.

“I know I’m going to be wrong on stuff. I just have to continue to trust my eyes,” Orlovsky said. “You’re going to be wrong in this business. If you’re scared to do that, then you will never stand out.”

As for Hurts, Orlovsky said he’s been impressed by the 24-year-old’s growth and development since his first start during the 2020 season. Orlovsky wasn’t afraid to toss out another bold opinion on Get Up Friday morning: That it would be a “disappointment” if the Hurts-led Eagles don’t become the NFL’s next dynasty.

“We have never seen Jalen Hurts stand still. He’s never plateaued,” Orlovsky said. “He’s only gotten better.”

A former NFL quarterback most famous for running out of the back of the end zone in 2008, Orlovsky has quickly become one of the top talking heads on television. In addition to hits on a number of ESPN shows, he’s a regular on NFL Live alongside Mina Kimes, Laura Rutledge, Marcus Spears, and Ryan Clark.

Orlovsky drew attention from Fox Sports last year before signing a new deal with ESPN that put him in the network’s No. 2 booth on Monday Night Football, alongside Steve Levy and former Eagles front office executive Louis Riddick. The trio will call the Super Bowl on ESPN Sunday for viewers in Australia and New Zealand.

Orlovsky made a name for himself as a pundit in 2017 on social media, where he would post detailed breakdowns of plays that were shared widely on Twitter. At the time, Orlovsky said he and his family were living in Philadelphia, so he did hits on local media outlets like 97.5 The Fanatic and NBC Sports Philadelphia that helped land him at ESPN in 2018.

“We were living in Philadelphia when I started to get into this world. And it was just the easiest thing to pop down and go do some local radio stuff or some hits on television,” Orlovsky said.

Orlovsky’s wife, Tiffany, was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and is a lifelong Eagles fans. She was out in Scottsdale this week with the couple’s four kids on a trip they planned around his work schedule before knowing the Birds would play in the Super Bowl. But they’re not staying.

“The plan was, ‘Hey, if the Eagles make it you guys can go to the Super Bowl.’ But she was like, ‘I want to watch it at home,’” Orlovsky said. “Also, I wasn’t buying five Super Bowl tickets.”