How the Carson Wentz trade could affect the Eagles’ draft strategy | Early Birds
The Eagles could sign a veteran backup and turn the starting job over to Hurts next season, but there’s a chance Howie Roseman will replenish the quarterback factory a little differently.
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Good morning, Eagles fans! How you feeling? I’m sure some of you are happy that the Carson Wentz trade speculation is now over, but some are still sad to see him go. Don’t worry, we are understanding of all angles here at The Inquirer. Regardless of how you feel, the Eagles have turned the page to a new era. Wentz is headed to Indy, and for better or worse, the Eagles are moving on.
Even if you’re a big believer in Jalen Hurts, it’s fair to point out that the Eagles’ search for a franchise quarterback has truly started now. They might have their guy in Hurts, but there’s a distinct possibility the team will try to improve its odds of finding a true difference-maker at the most important position through the draft.
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Factory shift change
When surmising what the Eagles’ plan is for the quarterback position next season, it’s important to remember how they arrived at this point in the first place.
The now-infamous “quarterback factory” comments from general manager Howie Roseman last offseason might have been walked back since, but Hurts is on the Eagles roster because of that line of thinking.
“For better or worse, we are quarterback developers,” Roseman said last April. “We want to be a quarterback factory. We have the right people in place to do that. No team in the National Football League has benefitted more from developing quarterbacks than the Philadelphia Eagles.”
After the Eagles traded Wentz to Indianapolis, the only quarterback under contract for next season is Hurts. The Eagles could sign a veteran backup and turn the starting job over to Hurts next season, but there’s a chance Roseman will replenish the quarterback factory a little differently.
According to an Inquirer report, the Eagles are considering a quarterback with the sixth pick in the draft, and that should be no surprise. Roseman and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie have consistently discussed the value they place on the quarterback position, and it’s important to remember Hurts was drafted as a backup, not a possible franchise-changer. If the Eagles view one of the quarterback prospects as a difference-maker, it would make sense to draft him.
Thursday’s trade, particularly the draft-pick compensation, might make that easier. The Eagles are getting a third-round pick in this year’s draft along with a conditional pick in next year’s. If Wentz plays 75% of the Colts’ snaps (or 70% if the team makes the playoffs), the Eagles will get Indy’s first-rounder. If he doesn’t, they’ll get a second-rounder.
If the Eagles decide to go quarterback early in the draft, getting a specific player might require trading up, especially now that they have the draft picks to do so.
Clemson star Trevor Lawrence and BYU’s Zach Wilson are both likely to be off the board before the Eagles pick, but either Ohio State’s Justin Fields or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance is projected to be available between the third and 10th picks depending on the mock draft you look at.
If the race for one of those two guys heats up, the Dolphins, who have the third pick, could be the beneficiary. Miami already has Tua Tagovailoa in the fold and could give a team the chance of picking before the Atlanta Falcons get a chance to use the fourth pick on Matt Ryan’s heir apparent.
The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos are also in the quarterback market and could pursue a trade up, but the Eagles now have the upper hand because of their draft position combined with future picks.
What you need to know about the Eagles
Carson Wentz is headed to Indianapolis. Les Bowen breaks down one of the most pivotal decisions the franchise has made in recent memory.
Still trying to figure out where Wentz’s tenure with the Eagles went so wrong? Paul Domowitch has you covered with a detailed timeline of Wentz’s career.
Mike Sielski has his explanation of how we got here, and it involves the Eagles’ misreading Wentz as a person and a player.
Jeff McLane took a big-picture look at the Wentz trade, explaining why Thursday was such a dark day for Howie Roseman.
The worst trade in Philadelphia history? Marcus Hayes argues that, when you look at how many resources went into getting and keeping Wentz, the Eagles made a huge mistake.
Wentz’s departure clears the path for Hurts to earn the starting job, at least for now. Yours truly writes about how Thursday’s developments will affect the second-year quarterback.
From the mailbag
What do you think the compensation for Wentz would have been if they hadn’t benched him? — from Jeff (@JeffGamber) on Twitter
Thanks for the question, Jeff. I don’t think Wentz’s trade value would have been any higher had he finished the season, but there’s a chance it could’ve been lower. If anything, it probably helped Wentz’s value a bit seeing Hurts didn’t immediately light the world on fire in Wentz’s place. It’s fair to acknowledge that Wentz’s benching was somewhat overdue by the second half of the Green Bay game. Doug Pederson fielded questions about Wentz’s job security going into the game and for good reason: Wentz was one of the worst starters in the league last year.
If he turned things around, it might have helped a bit, but this still came down to the Colts’ believing the 2020 version of Wentz was an anomaly. I don’t think even a resurgence, which was unlikely, would have brought any more teams to the table than there already were.