Getty The Eagles might have a lingering quarterback debate between Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts heading into the offseason.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a bit of a conundrum at the quarterback position. You may have heard about it. The franchise has to decide whether to give the keys of the offense back to Carson Wentz or chart a future course with Jalen Hurts.
But having two quality quarterbacks on the roster is a good problem to have, according to Nick Sirianni. The new head coach is still evaluating the roster and not ready to commit to a starter, but he has spoken to both men. Sirianni watched a ton of tape on Wentz in 2018 when Frank Reich first got to Indianapolis, plus he scouted Hurts prior to last year’s draft. He considers it a “luxury” to have two “top-notch” quarterbacks with experience.
“You look at a lot of rosters and they don’t have any quarterbacks, right, that they feel really good about. We have two,” Sirianni told reporters at his introductory press conference. “That’s unbelievable to have two quarterbacks who have played and that have played well. Not a lot of people have that luxury of having two quarterbacks that have experience, so super excited to be able to work with them because, obviously, we all know how important that position is to a football team.”
Nick Sirianni addresses Carson Wentz and the QB situation. Two quality QBs is a good problem to have. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Wentz signed a $128 million contract extension in 2019 under the guise of being the face of the franchise. Then, the Eagles selected Hurts in the second round last year and benched Wentz for him in Week 13. There have been reports of “hurt feelings” from Wentz, so it’s going to be a balancing act for Sirianni.
“We have a lot of things to go through in the next couple weeks of evaluating the entire roster and every position,” Sirianni said. “Quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, that is what we’re going to be diving into here and it’s great and we have two quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts that are top-notch.”
Follow the Heavy on Eagles Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Quarterback Competition at Training Camp?
The logical assumption — assuming the Eagles don’t trade Wentz — would be an open competition at training camp for the starting job. Sirianni wouldn’t commit to that on Friday, preferring to “evaluate the entire roster” before making any personnel decisions. However, he did mention Wentz by name and clearly did his homework on the quarterback by talking to his former boss.
“I couldn’t have watched more tape on Carson Wentz in 2018,” Sirianni said. “When Frank [Reich] and I got back together, when we were installing our offense with the Indianapolis Colts, we watched a lot of Chargers tape, and we watched a lot of Philadelphia Eagles tape from 2017. Man, what an impressive player. He’s got so much talent, and from what I’ve heard from everybody, great person.”
Sirianni also talked about his offensive philosophy and how he likes to cater the gameplan to his players’ strengths. He will take a collaborative approach to the play-calling duties while leaning on offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson. The 39-year-old didn’t call plays for the Colts, but he was very much involved in the process.
“When you call plays in the NFL, it’s a collaboration,” Sirianni said. “It’s a collaboration of everybody and the hard work goes into that, of how you call plays, Monday through Saturday — and being in those meetings together and thinking about the plays first and then taking that gameplan and spelling it out to the quarterback.”
Howie Roseman Has ‘Final Say’ on Roster
The collaborative approach will spill over to roster construction, too. Sirianni revealed that he’ll defer to GM Howie Roseman for “final say” on the 53-man roster but he’ll be in charge of selecting the active players on gameday.
“Howie has final say over the 53,” Sirianni said. “I believe I have the final say over the 47 on gameday, of what we need to go through the game and get into the game and the pieces that we need.”
There were rumors last year about Roseman dictating actives and inactives to Doug Pederson. Sirianni preached togetherness and excitement when discussing his relationship with Roseman. He expects to have input on free agency and trade scenarios, too.
“I really look forward to working with Howie and his staff to help get the players in here that fit what we want to do offensively and defensively,” Sirianni said. “I think the best organizations that I’ve been on are the ones that work together on that.”
READ ALSO: