Getty Eagles rookie Jalen Hurts ran for a first down last week against the Bengals.
The man who loves to hate on Carson Wentz and the Eagles was back at it. This time, he might have a point.
Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe were debating the state of the Eagles on their FOX Sports “Undisputed” show when the topic turned to Jalen Hurts. Sharpe was adamant about not making a quarterback switch this early in the season while Bayless — a self-admitted and devout Cowboys fan — predicted that Doug Pederson would move on from Carson Wentz sooner rather than later.
He acknowledged the Eagles should “ride out the storm” of their upcoming three-game murderer’s row of a schedule (49ers, Steelers, Ravens) before thinking about inserting Hurts against the Giants. Here’s what Bayless said:
“I feel Dougie Pederson will go knee-jerk and replace Carson Wentz for good. To your point, once you go there, you better stay there. You would wreck his confidence. You would wreck the team’s confidence, the city’s confidence in him, which is wavering right now. He is a leader. He is a playmaker. He is a winner. He would inspire them as a team. I believe he would ignite that team, with his ability to run it, and throw it, and score it.
“He is something to watch because he is so strong, for his size — he’s about 6-2ish, maybe 230ish … he’s the strongest guy in the weight room, power-packed legs, hard to get on the ground, and he can run it durably. He’s like a high-level running back playing quarterback.”
Follow the Heavy on Eagles Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Pederson Not Making ‘Knee-Jerk Reaction’ at QB
Pederson has reiterated all week that he has no plans to replace Wentz at quarterback. He’s the franchise, for better or worse, and the organization has too much invested in him ($128 million, per Spotrac) to make a hasty decision. Especially when the Eagles (0-2-1) are technically only one game out of first place, behind Washington (1-2) and Dallas (1-2). There are 13 games to go, plenty of time.
“We’ve done this before. We did it at the end of the season last year,” Pederson said. “We won the four straight [games] to get us into the postseason, and it appears we’re going to have to do that again.”
Doug Pederson asked where his confidence level is with Carson Wentz.
His confidence in Wentz remains at an all-time high and Hurts remains a gadget-play specialist for now.
“My confidence level is extremely high, and it hasn’t changed. I just know who Carson is,” the head coach said. “I know the type of worker he is. I know how he approaches the game, prepares each week. And so listen, he and I are in this thing together, and so my confidence level is, hey, I want to put the ball in his hands. It’s a great opportunity for us when the ball is in Carson Wentz’s hands because anything and everything can happen.”
Follow the Heavy on Eagles Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
READ NEXT: Browns Top Pick Jedrick Wills Reveals New Jersey Number